Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Designation of occupation

Pipeline fitter (m/f)*
Recognized by ordinance of June 2., 1999 (BGBl. I p. 1102)

Duration of traineeship

3 years

The venues for training are company and vocational school (Berufsschule)

Field of activity

Pipeline fitters work both on new constructions and on repair and rehabilitation projects at various job sites. They fit pressure pipelines for the transportation of liquid and gaseous media and accessories and fittings made of different materials.

Occupational skills

Pipeline fitters carry out their work on the basis of technical documents and job orders, both independently and in cooperation with others. They plan and coordinate their work, consult and coordinate with others working on the site, set up construction sites and take the measures required for smooth-running operations, for health and safety at work and to protect the environment at the job site. They check their work to ensure error-free execution, document their work, carry out quality assurance measures, calculate job performance data and hand the vacated job site on.

When carrying out the following activities, pipeline fitters use plant and machinery, they erect and dismantle scaffolding for work, protection and support purposes and measure constructions and elements thereof for proper fit.

Pipeline fitters 

• carry out excavation work, line construction pits and trenches, fill in and compress earth, and build embankments,
• carry out open water lowering work for soil-course water and groundwater,
• process pressure pipes made of metallic and synthetic materials,
• fit and set up pressure pipelines and accessories and fittings made of different materials for the transportation of liquid and gaseous media,
• work on pressure pipelines for gas, water and district heating which are currently under pressure,
• lay branch line connections to individual buildings,
• protect pressure pipelines against corrosion and chemical influences,
• inspect and disinfect pipelines,
• build pipelines using techniques not involving trenches,
• overhaul and rehabilitate pressure pipelines,
• build cable ducts and lay cables and cable pipes,
• build manhole constructions using prefabricated parts, concrete and masonry,
• carry out related tasks to restore the road surface.

Additionally, pipeline fitters carry out related tasks in the field of building construction. They 

• build timber-plank formwork for right-angle foundations, supports, walls, beams and recesses, build and anchor reinforcing elements, and deliver concrete by hand,
• build masonry structures using small and medium-sized blocks,
• seal constructions against moisture.  
  

Fußnoten

*) Stage 2 of a graduated training in the construction industry;
Stage 1: civil engineering worker (m/f)

Last modified on: December 12, 2006