Apprentice Union Sheet Metal Jobs in Riverside, CA

About the Role
As a Sheet Metal Fabricator, you'll fabricate, form, and install the sheet metal components that outfit maritime vessels: ventilation ductwork, structural foundations and brackets, bulkhead liners, furniture (bunks, lockers, cabinets), ladders, handrails, and wet-space linings. You'll work from the shop floor to the structure: laying out from drawings, cutting and forming on shears, brakes, and rolls, then fitting and installing into compartments. The work spans thin-gauge stainless and aluminum ductwork to heavier structural brackets and foundations.

What You'll Do

Fabrication

• Lay out, mark, cut, and form sheet metal components from engineering drawings, sketches, and templates
• Operate shears, press brakes, rolls, hand brakes, notchers, and nibblers to form parts to drawing tolerances
• Cut material using plasma arc, laser, shears, and hand tools
• Fabricate ventilation ductwork: transitions, elbows, tees, plenums, and damper assemblies
• Fabricate structural components: foundations, brackets, equipment bases, stiffeners, and coamings
• Build furniture and outfit items: bunks, lockers, cabinets, shelving, ladders, handrails, and enclosures
• Drill, ream, countersink, and deburr holes for fasteners, rivets, and hardware
• Operate semi-automated fabrication equipment (plasma tables, laser cutters, CNC press brakes) where available: load programs, set up material, verify first articles

Installation & Fit-Up

• Fit and install fabricated components into maritime structures: ventilation systems, liners, foundations, furniture, and outfit items
• Scribe, trim, and adjust parts to achieve proper fit against hull curvature, frames, and adjacent structure
• Install using mechanical fasteners (rivets, screws, bolts), adhesives, and gaskets per procedure
• Set up and align components using levels, squares, plumb bobs, and laser alignment tools
• Work with riggers and crane operators to position and install larger assemblies

Welding & Joining

• Perform sheet metal welding on stainless steel, aluminum, carbon steel, and copper-nickel as required
• Perform spot welding, resistance welding, and brazing where specified
• Prep joints: clean, fit, tack, and maintain proper gap and alignment for weld quality
• Maintain weld certifications as required by program and material

Quality & Documentation

• Complete hardcopy and electronic documentation: fabrication travelers, inspection records, material traceability
• Verify dimensions against drawings using tape measures, calipers, protractors, radius gauges, and templates
• Maintain compliance with NAVSEA standards, military specifications, and workmanship requirements
• Identify non-conformances and process through proper disposition channels
• Prepare completed work for company, customer, and government inspections

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED
• 5+ years of sheet metal fabrication experience: industrial, shipbuilding, or manufacturing environments
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, sketches, and GD&T
• Proficiency with layout and shop math - geometry, trigonometry, material allowances, bend calculations
• Experience operating shears, press brakes, rolls, and standard sheet metal shop equipment
• Experience with material cutting: plasma, shears, or hand methods
• Ability to fit and install fabricated components to tight tolerances
• Proficiency with precision measuring tools: tape measures, calipers, protractors, angle finders, templates
• Willing to work any shift and overtime as production requires
• U.S. Person status (ITAR requirement)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CNC plasma tables, CNC laser cutters, or CNC press brakes (operation and/or programming)
• GTAW (TIG) welding capability on stainless steel, aluminum, and/or copper-nickel
• Military shipbuilding, submarine, or naval shipyard experience
• Experience fabricating and installing ventilation ductwork to military standards
• Familiarity with NAVSEA technical publications, MIL-STDs, and naval drawing standards
• Completion of apprenticeship, vocational program, or military MOS in sheet metal (e.g., Navy HT, DC, or equivalent)
• Background in aerospace, defense, or AS9100 / ISO 9001 environments
• Experience with furniture and outfit fabrication: bunks, lockers, cabinets, enclosures

Physical Requirements

• Lift up to 50 lbs regularly and 75 lbs occasionally
• Stand, bend, kneel, crawl, and work overhead for extended periods
• Work at heights (ladders, scaffolding) and in confined spaces
• Work in shop and shipboard environments with exposure to noise, sharp edges, grinding dust, and variable temperatures
• Maintain color vision adequate for material identification and weld inspection