Careers information
What does it involve?
Toolmakers are trained in engineering skills and knowledge to make moulds, dies, gauges, jigs, tooling, press tooling, and fixtures for industrial processes.
Many common household items such as aerosol cans and plastic bottles are produced from tooling.
Tooling is typically used in sheet metal presses or injection moulding, blow moulding, extrusion, and pressure die-casting operations.
Typical day
Normally an 8-hour day; sometimes working longer may be required.
Work can include design and manufacturing moulds, dies or casts for mass-produced product containers (for example paint and aerosol cans, etc.) as well as designing and manufacturing one-off tools needed within an industry.
You’ll learn CAD/CAM design programs, and also CNC or EDM machining using computers.
How could I get into the industry
Does this sound like you?
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Study areas |
Attributes | Helpful experience | Preferred work environments |
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How much could I earn?
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2 years experience
$42k- $52k
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5 years experience
$53k- $80k
Career pathway
| School | Entry level jobs | Advancing jobs | Senior jobs |
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Ideally, NCEA Level 2 passes in:
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| Unit/Achievement standards in schools | Apprenticeship | Higher learning | Higher learning |