Foundry workers
Career Overview
Foundry workers:
- Make foundry moulds and cores by hand or machine
- Cast molten metal
- Operate furnaces
- Work for metal foundries and foundry departments of metal products manufacturing companies
Job Titles
Duties
Manual mouldmakers:
- Make and repair sand moulds using patterns, moulding boxes, sand and hand tools following bench, floor or pit moulding methods
- Operate ovens to dry moulds
- May pour molten metal into moulds to produce metal castings
Manual coremakers:
- Make cores for use inside moulds to form holes or void spaces in castings using core boxes, sand, hammer and wire or other reinforcing material
- Coat cores with protective materials and bake in oven
Machine mouldmakers and coremakers:
- Set up, adjust and operate various mouldmaking and coremaking machines to make sand and ceramics moulds and cores
Metal casters:
- Set up and operate various casting machines to cast ferrous and non-ferrous metal products
- Hand ladle and pour molten metal into moulds to produce castings
Foundry furnace operators:
- Run furnaces used to melt metals for moulding and casting
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
105% Employed Full Time
71%Key aspects of the work in this occupation:
- Work also takes place in an indoor environment, such as a furnace room where temperatures or humidity may vary considerably
- Working with equipment, instruments, machinery or power/hand tools may be source of injury
- Workers may be exposed to fire, steam or hot surfaces that can be hazardous
- The workplace many contain strong or toxic odours
- Noise in the workplace may cause distraction or hearing loss
Career Pathways
There is some movement between workers in this group.
Progression to supervisory positions is possible with experience.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
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For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
- Completion of secondary school may be required
- Up to two years of on-the-job training are required for manual mouldmakers; several months of on-the-job training are required for other workers in this unit group
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Academic/Basic Upgrading
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Watching gauges, dials or other indicators to make sure that a machine is working properly.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Being able to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
105Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 0 | 0.0% |
| Kootenay | 15 | 14.3% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 50 | 47.6% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 10 | 9.5% |
| Northeast | 0 | 0.0% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 20 | 19.0% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 0 | 0.0% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
40Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | Not available | Not available |
| Kootenay | 0 | 0.6% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 30 | 1.5% |
| North Coast and Nechako | Not available | Not available |
| Northeast | Not available | Not available |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 10 | 2.6% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | Not available | Not available |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 40 |
Resources
Resource information is currently not available.
