Historically, the name Millwright meant a person who kept a mill in good working order. In those days the Millwright both designed and supervised the construction of all parts of the mill. In addition, it was usually the Millwright who installed and undertook major repairs to the mills' equipment and machinery.

Today, work performed by Millwrights is far-reaching and generally associated with all major industries including:

• nuclear
• solar power
• space exploration

Today's Millwright is a generalist, someone with a solid general understanding of the construction and manufacturing processes, who can:

• communicate effectively with other tradespeople
• work well in a team environment
• has the ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specifications, technical literature
• adhere to work environment safety regulations

Today's Millwright also tests and/or troubleshoots completed work to ensure that it meets very exacting standards. The highly skilled Millwright is proficient in a wide range of duties involving the installation, repair and maintenance of machinery and related devices and systems.

The Millwright Trade, through apprenticeship training and upgrading is positioning itself for the work of the future that will be significantly impacted by the introduction of new technologies. This will place an increasing emphasis on continuous skill development in more "high tech" skill areas including:

• pneumatic and hydraulic systems
• robotics
• electrical and electronic controls
• optical alignment
• preventive and predictive maintenance
• vibration analysis
• laser coupling alignment
• quality control
• and many, many more...