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The differences between welder apprentices and ship fitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a welder apprentice and a ship fitter. Additionally, a ship fitter has an average salary of $45,247, which is higher than the $34,266 average annual salary of a welder apprentice.
The top three skills for a welder apprentice include MIG, hand tools and arc welding. The most important skills for a ship fitter are hand tools, tack-weld, and tack welding.
| Welder Apprentice | Ship Fitter | |
| Yearly salary | $34,266 | $45,247 |
| Hourly rate | $16.47 | $21.75 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 14,044 | 9,742 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A welder apprentice analyzes engineering specifications and engineering drawings to plan layout and assembly welding operations. Besides using rulers, calipers, combination squares, and straight edges to secure, position, and layout parts and assemblies as per the assignment specifications, welder apprentices also perform their duties based on established safety procedures and quality standards. They use arc welding, gas welding, electric welding, and other welding forms to weld and track-weld assemblies and different components. Moreover, a welder apprentice uses precision measuring instruments, calipers, and micrometers to find gap variance.
Ship fitters are civilian or enlisted people who work on materials like high yield strength steel and high-tensile steel. These people fabricate, assemble, and build structural parts of ships. They are the ones who coordinate a fixed tank working on ships and submarines, as well as the sonar dome work. They serve as part of a team composing shipbuilders. It is their duty to lead and assist in welding copper, PVC, flange piping, and steel. They should also refurbish the older rigs with advanced technologies.
Welder apprentices and ship fitters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Welder Apprentice | Ship Fitter | |
| Average salary | $34,266 | $45,247 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $43,000 | Between $31,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Mount Laurel, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | BWX Technologies |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a welder apprentice and a ship fitter in terms of educational background:
| Welder Apprentice | Ship Fitter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between welder apprentices' and ship fitters' demographics:
| Welder Apprentice | Ship Fitter | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0% | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |