72104 Structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters

What this occupation covers

Structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters fabricate, assemble, fit and install steel or other metal components for buildings, bridges, tanks, towers, boilers, pressure vessels and other similar structures and products. They are employed in structural steel, boiler and platework fabrication plants and by heavy machinery manufacturing and shipbuilding companies. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 7 main duties for this code.

• Study engineering drawings and blueprints, determine the materials required, and plan the sequence of tasks to cut metal most efficiently
• Construct patterns and templates as guides for layouts
• Lay out reference points and patterns on heavy metal according to component specifications
• Rig, hoist and move materials to storage areas or within worksite
• Assemble and fit metal sections and plates to form complete units or subunits using tack welding, bolting, riveting or other methods
• Set up and operate various heavy-duty metal-working machines such as brake presses, shears, cutting torches, grinders and drills, including computer numerical control (CNC) equipment, to bend, cut, form, punch, drill or otherwise form heavy-metal components
• Install fabricated components in final product.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 7 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 72103 Boilermakers
• 94105 Metalworking and forging machine operators
• 72010 Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations
• 72105 Ironworkers
• 72106 Welders and related machine operators

Excluded from this code

• Boilermakers (See 72103 Boilermakers)
• Metalworking and forging machine operators (See 94105 Metalworking and forging machine operators)
• Platework fabricator supervisor (See 72010 Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations)
• Structural metal fitter supervisor (See 72010 Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations)
• Structural steel erector (See 72105 Ironworkers)
• Welders and related machine operators (See 72106 Welders and related machine operators)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

apprentice fitter - shipbuilding · apprentice metal fabricator · apprentice metal shipwright · apprentice shipfitter · apprentice ship's plater · apprentice steel fabricator · apprentice structural metal and platework fabricator · apprentice structural steel and platework fitter · apprentice structural steel fabricator · bridge and girder plater · fabricator - structural metal · fitter - metal fabrication · fitter - shipbuilding · fitter - structural metal fabrication · fitter lead hand - structural metal and platework · marine steel fitter · metal fabricator · metal fabricator - structural metal and platework · metal fabricator (fitter) · metal preparation lead hand - structural metal and platework · metal shipwright · plater · plater - shipbuilding · plater-welder

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Completion of a three- to four-year apprenticeship program or A combination of over four years of work experience in the trade and some college or industry courses in structural steel and platework fabrication is usually required to be eligible for trade certification.
• Trade certification for metal fabricators (fitters) is available, but voluntary, in all provinces.
• Trade certification for marine technicians is available, but voluntary, in Nova Scotia and British Columbia.
• Trade certification for piledriver and bridgeworker is available in British Columbia.
• Trade certification for boiler and related equipment assemblers and structural metal fabricators (non-construction) is available, but voluntary, in Quebec.
• Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified metal fabricators (fitters) upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.