A journeyman millwright maintains, installs, repairs, dismantles, and moves machinery within an industrial setting. As a journeyman millwright, you may work in a factory for a few days and then work in a power plant, processing facility, or at a construction site for a similar amount of time. As part of the safety protocol for installation, you thoroughly inspect equipment for potential issues, such as defective parts, and you determine the need to disassemble or repair machines. You also work with engineers to assess blueprint plans. To learn the necessary skills for this job, you must complete a formal apprenticeship program available through an employer, state labor office, or local union.

Employers typically require candidates to have a high school diploma or G.E.D. certificate, but to stand out as a candidate, you can obtain an associate degree in industrial technology or industrial maintenance. Whether you acquire this degree or not, you must complete an apprenticeship program through an employer, the state labor office, or your local union. These comprehensive programs typically take four or five years to complete, during which you build your mechanical drawing and computer programming skills and improve your knowledge of industrial machinery. Journeyman millwrights often continue employment with the company where they earned their apprenticeship, but your local union can also help you find work if you didn’t take that route as an apprentice. Joining the United Brotherhood of Carpenters trade union can also help you secure continuous employment.