Breaking into the Industry: How to Launch Your Career as a Draughtsman (Mechanical)

Do you have a passion for drawings and sketches? Do you like to play with your geometry box? Would you like to know how engineers draw machines, furniture, and automobiles before they are built? Then a career as a Draughtsman (Mechanical) would be a good option for you. Engineers give their ideas to draughtsmen and they do the drawings!

Mechanical Draughtsmen assist mechanical engineers in planning out projects. They convert ideas from engineers into technical drawings or maps. Their detailed working drawings include industrial mechanical devices, tools, heavy machinery, furniture, automobiles, etc.

Why become a Draughtsman (Mechanical)? 

As a Mechanical Draughtsman, you will be involved in creating and developing detailed drawings of various industrial machinery, engines, industrial plants, mechanical equipment and devices, mechanical tools, various mechanical parts of products, heavy engineering machinery, vehicles, etc. 

Based on the overall layout and designs, sketches, and specifications given by Mechanical Engineers, you will use Computer-Aided Design & Drafting (CADD) software to create and develop the mechanical drawings. Apart from the various mechanical goods mentioned above, you will develop the drawings of various mechanical components and parts used to construct, assemble, and install various mechanical goods. You will develop drawings of various sections of the goods and specify all dimensions. 

What does Draughtsman (Mechanical) do? 

As a Mechanical Draughtsman, you will be engaged with one or more of the following roles and responsibilities: – 

• Producing detailed 2D drawings and 3D graphical models of mechanical goods as well as their components, parts, and sections using Computer-Aided Design & Drafting software like AutoCAD. 
• Reviewing rough sketches or drawings received from mechanical engineers.
• Drawing freehand sketches, maps, or drafting plans for systems, machines, tools, furniture, automobiles mechanical devices and their components, etc.
• Computing and applying mathematical formulas to develop drawings.
• Explaining engineering drawings or related technical descriptions.
• Helping to estimate the technical resources required for different projects.
• Preparing official documents related to various projects.
• Making cost estimates as per the drawings for different projects.
• Supervising junior drafters, technicians, and technologists.

How to become a Draughtsman (Mechanical) – eligibility criteria 

After Class 10:

You can do any of the following:

• National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) Certificate and Training.
• Go for a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering.
• Take vocational training at an ITI (or similar institute).
• Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS)Course.
• National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) after apprenticeship training.

Various private/public vocational training establishments across India offer courses on ‘Mechanical Draughtsman’ or related disciplines.

Educational fees

The educational fees to become a draughtsman (mechanical) is somewhere around Rs. 10,000 to 50,000. 

Job opportunities

After your Training/Certificate Courses, you can get many jobs as Trade Apprentice, Mechanical Draughtsman or AutoCAD Draughtsman, etc.

These are some of the industries that will require your services:

• Industrial Products / Heavy Machinery 
• Construction / Engineering / Cement / Metals
• Automobile / Auto Ancillary / Auto Components 
• Oil and Gas / Energy / Power / Infrastructure
• Government / Defence / Railways

Salary of draughtsman (mechanical) 

Salaries vary according to job profiles and the kind of facilities you get to work at.

In entry-level jobs: You may expect to get about Rs.7,500.00 – Rs.18,000.00 per month.

Salaries increase with your work experience and as you get promoted.

In mid-level jobs, with 6-12 years of work experience, you may expect to get about Rs.14,000.00 – Rs.40,000.00 per month.

In senior-level jobs, with 12-15 years of work experience, you may expect to get about Rs. 25,000.00 – Rs.60,000.00 per month or even more.

Career progression as a draughtsman (mechanical) profession

You can certainly grow through job roles like the following as you progress through your career:

• Master Draughtsman
• Chief Draughtsman
• Senior Draughtsman
• On-site Supervisor
• Head Surveyor 
• Assistant Architect
• Divisional Head Tracer
• Circle Head Draftsmen

You can also pursue the Crafts Instructor Training Scheme (CITS) for becoming an instructor in any ITI or similar institute and become a Senior Faculty/Lecturer in the future.

What do industry trends say – Future Prospects

The future for this career pathway looks satisfactory. Capital Goods Industry turnover is forecasted to reach the 115 billion US Dollars mark by 2025. Engineering Research and Development (ER&D) market in India is forecasted to touch the 42 billion US Dollars mark from 28 billion US Dollars by FY2022. Construction Equipment sales are expected to reach an annual mark of more than 1, 10,000 units by 2022. The Construction Equipment Industry market size is predicted to grow to 5 billion US Dollars by FY2020 from the current size of around 4 billion US Dollars.

Engineering exports are expected to reach 80 billion US Dollars in FY 2019 from the current worth of around 46 billion US Dollars. Machine tools production is expected to reach 1.40 billion US Dollars by the end of 2019 from 1.13 billion US Dollars in 2018. In sectors like Infrastructure, Mining, Power, Oil and Gas, Steel, Automotive, Refinery, and Consumer Durables, futuristic capacity creation is demanding more skilled labor in the Engineering arena. The creation of more special economic zones (SEZs) and Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor is further bolstering this demand.

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