Also called: Pourer, Ladle Operator
Pours molten metal from furnaces and ladles into molds to make castings.
Dressed in a silver heat suit, you tilt a ladle of glowing 2,700°F iron into a line of molds while sparks shoot everywhere. Timing and steadiness matter: pour too slow and the metal freezes early.
BLS pourers and casters, metal; approximate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school plus on-the-job training.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Shrinking (about -2% over 10 years).
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Automated pouring systems and robotic ladles spread in larger foundries; small shops still pour by hand.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at foundries or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Shop class, Chemistry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4052.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.