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What is it like to work in Maintenance?

A general maintenance and repair worker who maintains and repairs the machinery and mechanical equipment in a building. They work on everything from painting the floors to repairing and cleaning machinery, electrical appliances and sanitary facilities.

A maintenance person will have a knowledge of how to: 

• Plaster a ceiling / wall and make good repairs

• Install drywall 

• Repair electrical faults

• Attend to issues with plumbing 

• Have a basic knowledge of...

  
  

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WORKING IN TRADES & SERVICES

What is it like to work in Maintenance?

A general maintenance and repair worker who maintains and repairs the machinery and mechanical equipment in a building. They work on everything from painting the floors to repairing and cleaning machinery, electrical appliances and sanitary facilities.

A maintenance person will have a knowledge of how to: 

• Plaster a ceiling / wall and make good repairs

• Install drywall 

• Repair electrical faults

• Attend to issues with plumbing 

• Have a basic knowledge of air conditioning, heating & ventilation systems

• Paint different types of surfaces including timber, masonry and metal

Crucially, maintenance personnel need to be able to recognise when a job is above their qualification level and requires a more specialized tradesperson (such as a qualified electrician, plumber, engineer etc) to assist with repairs / installation.

However, on the whole maintenance workers have a very good understanding across a wide range of trade disciplines and are skill in using a wide variety of tools and equipment to enable them to carry out the job to the best of their abilities.

Maintenance workers can be found within all types of industries, working in large corporate office buildings, residential apartments and condominiums, to hospitals, schools and even in jail houses.  The work will vary somewhat depending on what building they are located in, but on the whole, the skills they learn and acquire are relatively transferable.

How to work in Maintenance

General maintenance and repair workers do not usually require formal training beyond school, and they often learn their skills at work ‘on the job’.  Usually, maintenance workers will start by learning basic skills of electrical, plumbing, painting etc before they start to undertake the more complex and technical side of the industry.

As a rule, general maintenance and repair workers usually begin by observing and learning from qualified maintenance personnel. For example practical training provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), provides workers with the opportunity to learn about the needs of the role and skills required whilst undertaking practical training.

General maintenance and repair workers learn their skills by helping other types of repair and construction workers, including machine repairers, carpenters, and electricians. The repair of leaking taps and the replacement of light bulbs will be done first, and after gaining experience, they will continue with the overhaul of machines and walls and the installation of new sanitary and electrical appliances.

Licensing requirements vary by state and city, with licensing requirements varying from state to state but for more complex tasks, workers may need to be licensed to work in another industry, such as electrical, mechanical, plumbing or electrical engineering. Some maintenance and repair workers choose a specific profession and become maintenance or repair workers, and other maintenance workers eventually open their own repair companies. If you want to become a project manager or become self-employed, it can help to seek further training or even a degree in construction management.

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