Maintenance electrician and fitter: how to train and review the role
Keeps motors, pumps, panels, inverters, conveyors and vehicles running at a plant, mine, utility or solar site. Does routine checks, repairs breakdowns and logs jobs. Reports to the maintenance supervisor or engineer.
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Share your requirementsWho usually fills this role
Mostly ITI electricians and fitters or diploma holders, often with experience in industry or contractors, plus helpers promoted over time. At hiring, test fault-finding steps, tool use, reading of drawings and meters, safety habits and ability to explain what was done and left undone.
Skills ladder
Stage 1
New joiner
- Carry out checks and lubrication from a schedule
- Identify common faults and report them
- Use hand tools and meters safely
- Isolate and tag equipment as taught
Stage 2
Independent
- Diagnose and repair common faults without help
- Fill the job card with cause, work and parts
- Plan small shutdown jobs
- Test after repair before handing back
Stage 3
Senior or lead
- Handle complex faults and shutdown work
- Train juniors and check their work
- Suggest changes to cut repeat breakdowns
- Plan spares and work with stores and the supervisor
Training path
First weeks
- 1
Isolation and safety
The safety officer teaches lock-out and tag-out, permits and working near moving parts and live panels. The joiner demonstrates the steps and is signed off before touching equipment.
- 2
Equipment and schedule
The supervisor explains key equipment, daily and weekly checks and the preventive schedule. The joiner does the checks with a senior and records them.
- 3
Tools and meters
A senior shows correct tool use, meter reading and torque. The joiner practises on spare parts and the senior checks results.
- 4
Job cards and logs
The supervisor shows how to fill job cards and breakdown logs. The joiner fills cards for shadowed jobs and the supervisor corrects missing detail.
First year
- 1
Fault-finding method
A senior teaches a step-by-step approach from symptom to cause. The technician explains the steps on real breakdowns and notes what was learnt.
- 2
Repairs and testing
The technician repairs common faults and tests before returning equipment. The supervisor reviews a sample of jobs. Jobs returned for the same fault are discussed with the technician and the cause is noted in the log.
- 3
Preventive work
The technician learns to spot early signs such as heat, noise and wear and records them, and the supervisor compares the findings with the next failure.
- 4
Spares and stores
The stores team explains the spares list and how to request parts. The technician checks the list for his area and flags gaps.
Towards senior
- 1
Complex faults and shutdowns
The engineer gives the technician more complex faults and shutdown tasks, reviewing plan, steps and results. The engineer reviews the plan before the shutdown and the results afterwards, noting what went well.
- 2
Root-cause review
The senior reviews repeat breakdowns, finds causes and suggests changes, which the supervisor checks. The senior reviews repeat breakdowns from the log, finds the likely causes and suggests fixes, which the supervisor checks and approves before they are tried.
- 3
Training juniors
The senior uses the job sign-off list to train juniors and reviews their first independent jobs. The senior uses the job sign-off list to train juniors and reviews their first independent jobs, with the supervisor checking the records.
- 4
Planning
The senior joins planning of maintenance, spares and downtime with the supervisor and gets feedback on the plan. The senior joins planning of maintenance, spares and downtime with the supervisor and gets feedback on how the plan worked.
Performance review
A monthly one-to-one with the maintenance supervisor using job cards and breakdown logs, and a written half-yearly review. Check a few jobs on the floor together each quarter.
What to measure
| Measure | How it is seen |
|---|---|
| Repair quality | Repeat breakdown records and rework after repairs. |
| Job card quality | Cards read for cause, action, parts and time. |
| Preventive checks | Schedule completion and what early signs were found. |
| Safety practice | Observation of isolation and tag-out, permits and any incidents. |
| Fault-finding skill | Observation on a live fault and the steps explained. |
| Teamwork and learning | Supervisor's observation of helping others and learning new equipment. |
Evidence to bring
- Job cards
- Breakdown log
- Preventive schedule records
- Safety observation notes
Questions to ask in the review
- Which breakdown taught you the most?
- Which faults keep coming back?
- Where do you struggle to find the cause?
- Did you ever skip an isolation step for speed?
- Which spares are missing?
- How do you explain a repair to operations?
- What equipment would you like to learn?
- What do you need from stores or the supervisor?
Pitfalls
- Rating only on how fast breakdowns are fixed, which rewards quick patches.
- Training by letting juniors watch with no sign-off.
- Poor job cards that nobody reads, so cards become a formality.
- Skipping spares planning, so the technician is blamed for waiting.
Questions about this role
Show the repeat failures from the log, teach the fault-finding steps and review jobs for cause. Reward finding and fixing the cause, not only quick restarts.
The principles are similar, but mines involve heavy machines and hazardous areas, while solar involves inverters, trackers and panels. Use the same ladder with different equipment training.
Some tasks need licences or certificates under rules that vary. Confirm with your adviser which ones apply and keep records.