How to become a Steam Engine and Boiler Operator

Official title: Steam Engine and Boiler Operators

Steam engine and boiler operators operate steam engines, boilers and auxiliary equipment in workplaces, on ships and elsewhere.

Main tasks

• Operate, clean and lubricate steam engines, boilers and auxiliary equipment such as pumps, compressors and air-conditioning equipment to supply steam and power to buildings, ships or pneumatic tools
• Check equipment performance so it runs efficiently and keep boiler water, chemicals and fuel at required levels
• Test boiler water quality and adjust or take corrective action, such as adding chemicals to prevent corrosion and harmful deposits
• Fire coal or oil boilers by hand stoking or using automatic gas feeders, oil pumps and similar

Ways in

• Technical college: Technician certificate: Boiler operation. National technician skill test (技術士技能檢定) run by the Workforce Development Agency, trade 031 鍋爐操作. Tested at grade A (甲級), grade B (乙級). Peernovo links this trade to the occupation.; Technician certificate: Class 1 pressure vessel operation. National technician skill test (技術士技能檢定) run by the Workforce Development Agency, trade 099 第一種壓力容器操作. Tested at a single level (單一級). Peernovo links this trade to the occupation.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Average pay: NT$516,000 a year
• Demand for Machine operators and assemblers jobs is projected at about 1,647,000 in 2024 and about 1,698,000 in 2030. (+3.1%)
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Glass and Ceramics Plant Operators
• Packing and Related Machine Operators
• Stationary Plant and Machine Operators Not Elsewhere Classified

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Steam Engine and Boiler Operator?

Ways in include: Technician certificate: Boiler operation; Technician certificate: Class 1 pressure vessel operation.

How much does a Steam Engine and Boiler Operator earn in Taiwan?

Average pay is NT$516,000 a year (Ministry of Labor, Department of Statistics).

Is a Steam Engine and Boiler Operator a growing career in Taiwan?

Demand for this job family is projected to change 3.1% from 2024 to 2030 (National Development Council).

Will AI change the work of a Steam Engine and Boiler Operator?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Labor, Department of Statistics: Occupational Wage Survey (職類別薪資調查) (2025 survey (July 2025 monthly, 2024 annual), released 2026-05-29), Open Government Data License, version 1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• National Development Council: Final manpower demand projections by occupation (職業別最終人力需求推估) (2025 to 2030 (base 2024), 13 job families), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026