How To Become A Ship Erector: What It Is and Career Path

What is a ship erector and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average ship erector salary is $43,889. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an business major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a ship erector. Ship erectors with a OSHA Safety Certificate certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 20,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreShip ErectorUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,889

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.16%

Asian 1.64%

Black or African American 7.65%

Hispanic or Latino 23.09%

Unknown 4.70%

White 61.77%

Gender

female 5.61%

male 94.39%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a ship erector

Explore ship erector education requirements

Most common ship erector degrees

High School Diploma

46.4 %

Bachelor's

16.8 %

Associate

14.8 %

Start to develop specific ship erector skills

Skills	Percentages
Scaffolding	33.78%
OSHA	19.07%
Safety Rules	12.73%
Construction Sites	5.31%
Blueprint Specifications	3.30%

Complete relevant ship erector training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New ship erectors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a ship erector based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real ship erector resumes.

Research ship erector duties and responsibilities

Perform duties as a structural welder using SMAW, and FCAW.
Work with crew members to force steel parts into final position with turnbuckles, crowbars, jacks, etc.
Install various aluminum structures and foundations.
Identify and request any and all PPE necessary to performtasks.calculate accurate material estimates.

Prepare your ship erector resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your ship erector resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a ship erector resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable ship erector resume templates

Build a professional ship erector resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your ship erector resume.