Engineering Jobs

What they do: Lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers, and other structures.

What they do: Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.

What they do: Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.

What they do: Operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap sub-surface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction. May use explosives. Includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators.

What they do: Install glass in windows, skylights, store fronts, and display cases, or on surfaces, such as building fronts, interior walls, ceilings, and tabletops.

What they do: Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement, repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road or plow snow from roadway.

What they do: Line and cover structures with insulating materials. May work with batt, roll, or blown insulation materials.

What they do: Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units.

What they do: Paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. May remove old paint to prepare surface prior to painting. May mix colors or oils to obtain desired color or consistency.

What they do: Load and unload items from machines, conveyors, and conveyances. Operate machinery used in the production process, or assist machine operators. Place products in equipment or on work surfaces for further processing, inspecting, or wrapping.

What they do: Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or related materials. May spray roofs, sidings, and walls with material to bind, seal, insulate, or soundproof sections of structures.

What they do: Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks, or utilities, or to improve appearance, health, and value of tree. Prune or treat trees or shrubs using handsaws, hand pruners, clippers, and power pruners. Works off the ground in the tree canopy and may use truck-mounted lifts.

What they do: Analyze science, engineering, business, and other data processing problems to implement and improve computer systems. Analyze user requirements, procedures, and problems to automate or improve existing systems and review computer system capabilities, workflow, and scheduling limitations. May analyze or recommend commercially available software.

General Requirements:

Most employers are looking for candidates with a bachelor’s degree in computers science, computer programming, or systems analysis. However, some will be fine with an associate’s degree from a community college* or vocational school in information technology or related discipline with adequate work experience.

*Southwestern Illinois College

What they do: Provide technical assistance to computer users. Answer questions or resolve computer problems for clients in person, or via telephone or electronically. May provide assistance concerning the use of computer hardware and software, including printing, installation, word processing, electronic mail, and operating systems.

General Requirements:

At minimum an Associate’s degree. Programs can be found out St. Louis Community College or Southwestern Illinois College

What they do: Install, service, or repair heating and air conditioning systems in residences or commercial establishments.

Missouri Requirements

Missouri does not require licensure. However, candidates must:

• Complete an accredited HVAC program* at a trade school or community college; get an EPA certification**; and possess a high school diploma or proof of high school equivalency.

OR

• Complete a HVAC apprenticeship; get an EPA certification; and possess a high school diploma or proof of high school equivalency. [i]

*HVAC Programs available at: Ranken Technical College, American Trade School, and Southwestern Illinois College.

**While certification is optional in Missouri, there is one type of national certification mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for anyone working with refrigerant recovery and recycling (which includes virtually all HVAC technicians). This is called the EPA 608 Certification.

[i] https://www.hvacclasses.org/certification

What they do: Build rough wooden structures, such as concrete forms, scaffolds, tunnel, bridge, or sewer supports, billboard signs, and temporary frame shelters, according to sketches, blueprints, or oral instructions.

Missouri Requirements:

Missouri does not require licensure. However, candidates must possess:

• Completion of a formal four-year apprenticeship* in the carpentry trade; and possession of a high school diploma or proof of high school equivalency.

OR

• Five or more years of on-the-job training in the carpentry trade; and possession of a high school diploma or proof of high school equivalency.[i]

*Apprenticeships available: St. Louis Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Program, St. Louis Cabinet Makers Joint Apprenticeship Program (CMJAP), and St. Louis – Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council

[i] https://oa.mo.gov/personnel/classification-specifications/6052#class-spec-compact3

What they do: Install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. Ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes. May install or service street lights, intercom systems, or electrical control systems.

License Requirements:

In Missouri, electrician licensing is handled locally at the city and county level, rather than blanketed by statewide regulations.

1. Obtain Work Experience and Classroom Education to Fulfill Licensing Board Requirements

All the major licensing jurisdictions recognize the most common routes to qualifying for a journeyman license:

• Five-year, 8,000-hour field apprenticeship*, with 500-1000 hours of classroom training depending on the requirements of the licensing jurisdiction

OR

• Two-year associate’s degree in electrical engineering or electrical technology and verification of 8,000 hours of supervised experience

OR

• Four-year bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or electrical technology and verification of 4,000 hours of supervised experience

OR

• Documented proof of 12,000 hours (6 years) of experience performing wiring work and maintenance with a licensed electrical contractor[i]

*Apprenticeships available at St. Louis Electrical JATC, Associated Electrical Contractors Local Union 57 Joint Apprenticeship Program, and IEC Greater St. Louis (non-union)

2. Take the Journeyman Electrician Examination and Begin Working as a Journeyman

For more information on Licensing and Exam Requirements, please click on the following links:

• Louis County Board of Electrical Examiners
• https://www.electricianschooledu.org/missouri/

[i] https://www.electricianschooledu.org/missouri/

What they do: Assemble, install, or repair pipes, fittings, or fixtures of heating, water, or drainage systems, according to specifications or plumbing codes.

Missouri License Requirements:

• An applicant for a license as a journeyman plumber shall be at least twenty-one years of age.
• Applicants shall have had at least five years' experience as an apprentice* under the direction and supervision of a licensed master plumber.[i]
  
• The applicant shall have a practical knowledge of plumbing and shall be skilled in the art of installing plumbing and drainage facilities.
• Applicants shall have knowledge of the accepted standards and principles of plumbing and sewer or drainage facilities for the protection of the public health.

*For a plumbing apprenticeship you can apply by completing the application form or applying in person at the union office**. All candidates must be at least eighteen years old and in possession of a high school diploma.

**St. Louis local union: Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562

For more information on State Licensing and Exam Requirements, please click on the following links:

• https://www.stlouisco.com/YourGovernment/PublicWorks/Licensing
• http://www.usaplumbing.info/license/mo/missouri-plumbing-license-requirements

[i] http://www.usaplumbing.info/license/mo/missouri-plumbing-license-requirements

What they do: Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

General Requirements

Education: High School diploma

Training: Apprenticeship recommended, however they are hard to come by. Continual on-the-job-training. Some community colleges* and vocational schools have 2-year associate programs. [i]

Optional Certification: National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS)[ii]

*Community colleges include: St. Louis Community College and Southwestern Illinois College.

[i] https://www.zippia.com/machinist-jobs/

[ii] https://nims-skills.org/news/2009-02-16/731

St. Louis County Requirements:

In St. Louis County, electrician licenses are regulated by the St. Louis County Board of Electrical Examiners. Getting licensed as an electrical contractor in St. Louis County requires you to:

• Be at least 21 years old
• Have a minimum of 12,000 hours of practical experience
• Provide verification of employment, including submission of W2 forms and the Affidavit of Employment Experience form
• Receive a passing score (75%) on the master electrician examination administered by Prometric
• Submit a licensing application
• Pay the $20 application fee
• Pay the $50 escrow deposit

There is an annual fee of $125 for the electrical contractor license, which is due December 31 each year. There is a $100 late fee assessed for each month the annual license fee goes unpaid.

The 12,000-hour practical experience requirement can be satisfied by meeting any ONE of the following:

• 8,000 hours of electrical apprenticeship plus 4,000 hours of additional work experience
• 8,000 hours of practical experience plus a two-year degree from an electrical trade school
• 4,000 hours of practical experience plus a four-year degree in electrical engineering
• 12,000 hours of practical experience while under the employment of an electrical contractor[i]

[i] https://www.electricianschooledu.org/missouri/

Missouri License Requirements:

• Applicants for a master plumber's license shall be at least twenty-five years of age.
• Applicants shall have had three years or more experience as a licensed journeyman plumber.[i]
  
• The applicant shall possess the ability to direct other persons in the installation of plumbing and drainage.
• The applicant shall be skilled in planning, designing and installing plumbing and drainage facilities.
• Applicants must have a thorough knowledge of the accepted standards, principles and art of plumbing for the protection of the public health.

[i] http://www.usaplumbing.info/license/mo/missouri-plumbing-license-requirements