More about CTMAA Apprenticeships
What does a Machinist do?
A machinist is a skilled craftsperson who sets up and operates precision metal cutting and grinding machines such as lathes, milling machines, drills, shapers, boring mills and grinders. A machinist may use this variety of equipment to manufacture, install, operate, adjust and repair machine tools and other machines in common use.
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Job-related Skills, Interests and Values
- Reading and understanding blueprints, charts and tables
- Making, fitting and assembling parts using your hands or hand and power tools
- Estimating and measuring sizes and distances accurately and laying out work pieces
- Working with numbers
- Seeing and comparing slight differences in objects
- Working independently at tasks that require concentration as well as physical effort
What Preparation and Training Do You Need?
- Before entering an apprentice must have a secondary school diploma (Grade 12)
- Complete a machinist apprenticeship program of 8,000 hours or four years that includes a combination of work experience in the trade (@90%) and college or industry courses (@10%)
- Successfully complete the required examinations and hours of employment in order to be awarded a Journeyman certificate
What's Your Future in Machining?
Most workers in this occupation work full-time, some in small machine shops that employ two or three machinists, or in larger ones that employ several hundreds. The trend in the last decade has been toward computerized numeric control (CNC) machines that are usually programmed by an engineer or programmer. The machinist however, must understand the programming process, and is usually responsible for two or three machines. Job prospects improve for machinists with C.N.C. skills and experience.
Here are typical industries that employ machinists:
- Motor vehicle & parts manufacturers
- Heavy machinery and equipment manufacturers
- Aircraft and parts manufacturers
- Medical device and implantable makers
- High tech devices, instrumentation & electronics
