CAREER PATHWAYS: Manufacturing

The Manufacturing career cluster prepares learners for careers in planning, managing and performing the processing of materials into intermediate or final products. Careers also include related professional and technical support activities such as production planning and control, maintenance and manufacturing/process engineering. Download the Manufacturing pathway map.

This career cluster is divided into two pathways:

• Production
• Maintenance, Installation and Repair

Production

People with careers in production work on the shop floor making parts or assembling them. They work with machines, making or assembling electronic parts, constructing or assembling modular housing, performing welding jobs, or printing various materials.

Sample occupations include:

• Assemblers
• Automated Manufacturing Technicians
• Bookbinders
• Calibration Technicians
• Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers
• Extruding and Drawing Machine Operators
• Machine Operators
• Medical Appliance Makers
• Tool and Die Makers

Maintenance, Installation and Repair

People with careers in this pathway perform preventive maintenance procedures on machines, tools and equipment. These are performed routinely and on a regular basis. They also troubleshoot and repair electrical, electronic and mechanical systems. This will include mechanical repair as well as using computer-based inventory control systems, retrieving information histories on each machines from computer records, and recording repair activities on the system to keep accurate records of repairs performed on each machine.

Sample occupations include:

• Biomedical Equipment Technicians
• Communication System Installers/Repairers
• Computer Installers/Repairers
• Instrument Control Technicians
• Job/Fixture Designers
• Laser Systems Technicians
• Meter Installers/ Repairers
• Security System Installers/Repairers