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Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic

Typical education: High school diplomaHigh pressure

What they do

Lay out reference points and dimensions on metal or plastic stock or workpieces, such as sheets, plates, tubes, structural shapes, castings, or machine parts, for further processing. Includes shipfitters.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $63,870 Median per year · $30.71/hr Most earn $39,980–$93,860

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Design and prepare templates of wood, paper, or metal.
  • Compute layout dimensions, and determine and mark reference points on metal stock or workpieces for further processing, such as welding and assembly.
  • Brace parts in position within hulls or ships for riveting or welding.
  • Compute layout dimensions, and determine and mark reference points on metal stock or workpieces for further processing, such as welding and assembly.
  • Apply pigment to layout surfaces, using paint brushes.
  • Install doors, hatches, brackets, and clips.

Job outlook

United States
3% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 500 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Ship and boat building31.8%
  • Federal government, excluding postal service17.5%
  • Aerospace product and parts manufacturing11.5%
  • Temporary help services10.9%
  • Fabricated metal product manufacturing6.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Layout work is usually an entry-level job that needs a high school diploma, but most people first spend about 1 to 2 years in a metal or plastic shop before taking it on. Most people reach it in roughly 1 to 2 years after high school.

  1. High school diploma with shop and math classes

    4 years

    Build a base in geometry, measurement, and blueprint reading, which you use every day when marking reference points on metal or plastic.

  2. Structural Metal Fabricator and Fitter

    1-2 years

    Work in a shop cutting, fitting, and assembling metal parts, learning how drawings turn into real pieces and how the shop runs.

  3. Layout Worker, Metal and Plastic

    Ongoing once hired

    Mark dimensions and reference points on sheets, plates, tubes, castings, and machine parts so other workers can cut, drill, or shape them accurately.

Where it can lead

  1. Model Maker

    1-2 years of experience first

    You move from marking parts to building models and prototypes, which takes stronger precision and more hands-on machining skill.

  2. Tool and Die Maker

    2-4 years of experience first

    You make the cutting tools, dies, and molds that shops use, usually after a certificate or apprenticeship that teaches advanced machining and blueprint skills.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take geometry and shop or industrial technology classesGeometry helps with angles and dimensions, and shop classes give you hands-on practice with metal and measuring tools.
  • Take a drafting or technical drawing classLearning to read and make drawings prepares you for reading the blueprints layout workers follow.
  • Join a skills or technical club, such as a robotics or engineering teamBuilding and measuring parts in a team setting builds precision and problem-solving habits.
  • Look for a summer or part-time job at a shop, lumberyard, or manufacturing plantAny early work around tools and materials helps you learn shop routines and gain experience before you graduate.
  • Ask your school about welding or machining certificationsMany schools offer short introductory courses that give you a head start on shop work.

In college

  • Take math, especially trigonometry and geometryThese skills help with calculating angles and dimensions accurately when laying out parts.
  • Take CAD or drafting coursesComputer-aided design is common in modern manufacturing, and knowing it makes you more useful to employers.
  • Get a job in a machine shop, fabrication shop, or manufacturing plantA campus or local job that involves tools and materials counts as hands-on experience for this career.
  • Join a manufacturing or engineering student organizationThese groups offer hands-on projects and connections to local employers who hire shop workers.
  • Pursue a welding, machining, or metrology certificateA short certificate from a community college or trade program can show employers you understand precision measurement.

Tips for getting started

  • Take any shop, drafting, or CAD class you can. Being able to read blueprints is the main skill employers look for in this work.
  • Look for part-time or summer jobs in a machine shop, fabrication shop, or manufacturing plant, even as a general helper. Hands-on time is what counts toward the experience this career expects.
  • Practice careful measuring. Layout work depends on accuracy, so good habits with a tape measure, calipers, and a square matter early on.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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