Sheet Metal Worker (Klempner/in)
Type of occupationRecognised occupation
Type of trainingDual vocational training programme, regulated in accordance with Craft Trades Act (HwO)
Duration of training3½ years
Places of learningBusiness establishment and vocational school
What do you do in this job?
Sheet Metal Workers manufacture and install sheet metal parts for house roofs and facades, e.g. rainwater drainpipes, window sills, cladding for balconies, facades and roofs. Based on the architect’s and builder’s specifications, they manufacture the parts from sheet metal by, e.g. bending, seaming, cutting and soldering or forming pre-made sheet metal parts into the correct shape. They also make metal cladding for insulated pipes and containers and install air technology units, solar collectors, snow guards, bird control systems as well as lightning surge arresters.
- Where do you work?
Sheet Metal Workers mainly work in/for:
- Firms specialising in sheet metal work
- Roofing firms
- Installers of ventilation systems
They mostly work in workshops. Installation for the customer is carried out on location at the construction site either indoors or if necessary outdoors on roofs or facades.
What are the job requirements?
•Accuracy is especially important in this occupation, e.g. for manufacturing patterns with complicated outlines or for precise testing and re-measuring. Working with other skilled workers, e.g. when installing gutters, requires team-working skills.
•Mathematics skills are needed for e.g. calculating lengths, surfaces and angles on the surface areas of facades and roofs or quantities of materials required. A knowledge of physics is also important in order to determine the load-bearing capacity of sheet metal parts and materials as well as to determine the possible uses of materials. A knowledge of crafts and engineering is useful for operating and using machine tools while a knowledge of technical drawing facilitates the reading and drawing-up of sketches and plans.
What does a trainee earn during training?
Example of monthly training pay:
•1st Training Year: €49
•2nd Training Year: €533
•3rd Training Year: €597
•4th Training Year: €646
What school qualifications are required?
By law, no specific type of school education is required. In practice, companies mostly hire trainees with a lower secondary school-leaving certificate (Hauptschulabschluss).
What are the alternatives?
If you are not successful in applying for a training place for Sheet Metal Worker, the following is a small selection of alternative areas of occupation:
•Container and Apparatus Maker
•Plant Mechanic
•Heat. Cold and Noise Insulator
•Metalworker
Looking for a training place? Looking for further information?