Foundry Mould Maker

Typical Salary

£16,000 To £25,000

Typical Hours

38 to 40 a week

between 8am and 6pm on shifts

How To Become a Foundry Mould Maker

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role

College / University

You can do an engineering course at college, which may help when you start looking for work. Courses include:

Level 1 Certificate in Skills for Engineering
Level 1 Diploma in Engineering and Manufacturing
Level 2 Certificate in Engineering

2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

Apprenticeship

You can complete an engineering operative intermediate apprenticeship or a metal casting and foundry technician advanced apprenticeship.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could start as a foundry process worker and do training on the job to become a mould maker.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
concentration skills
the ability to work well with your hands
the ability to use your initiative
the ability to work well with others
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day duties may include:

mixing sand and clay to make moulds
injecting resin into sand to create shell moulds
making replicas of moulds with wax for use in 'investment' casting
pouring molten metal into polystyrene patterns
making moulds from heat resistent materials
bonding silica gel with ceramic powders to produce castings

Working Environment

You could work in a foundry workshop.

Your working environment may be hot and physically demanding.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career Path & Progression

You could move into supervisory management, quality control or engineering design as you get more experience.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Further information

You can find out more about careers in the metals industry from the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers and Tomorrow's Engineers.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.