Pipefitter
NAMTS experience fabricating and installing pipe, performing intermediate-level repairs, and applying maintenance standards directly overlaps civilian pipefitting work.
How to prepare: Bring your NAMTS training and work records to a union or employer pipefitting apprenticeship sponsor for a skills assessment; the typical entry route requires a high school diploma or equivalent and a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship. Some states require pipefitter licensing based on an exam, work experience, or both, and gas-line work may require a special license.
What the civilian work involves
- Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
- Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
- Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.