Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

Apprenticeship Standards

Industrial/Manufacturing Trades

Workers in manufacturing and industrial trades make almost all of the products that we use.  Paper goods, automobiles, farm machinery, and electrical equipment are just a few of the major products manufactured by skilled workers in Wisconsin. The following trades are included under this overall heading.

Machine Tool Trades

Every product that we touch in daily life, a metalworking journeyperson touches first.  The machine tool trades build precise, complex tools and precision component parts used in high technology industries such as aerospace, medical, automotive, defense, construction, and consumer products.

If you are mechanically minded, hands-on-person who likes problem solving, designing and building things, accepting responsibility, teamwork, math and industrial science, take a look at the advantages of a career in the machine tool trades.

Machinists use machine tools to repair metal parts, tools, or machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, shop mathematics, metal properties, and machining operations.  They study specifications to determine dimensions and tolerances of workpieces and sequences of necessary operations.  Machinists are skilled workers who can transform a block of metal into an intricate part, such as a gear or piston, that meets precise specifications.  They set up and operate most kinds of machine tools used to fabricate metal parts of automobiles, machines, and other equipment, and also have knowledge of the properties of a variety of metal, such as steel, cast iron, aluminum, and brass.

Minimum qualifications for machinist apprentices vary depending on the company.

The term of the machinist apprenticeship is a minimum of four years of not less than 8,320 hours.  Paid related classroom instruction constitutes a minimum of 576 hours of the apprenticeship.

In contrast to working conditions of the past, most machine shops are now well-lighted, well-ventilated, and clean.  Noise levels have also been reduced with better designed machine tools.  Workers wear ear plugs in those shops where noise is still a problem, and they wear steel-toed boots and safety goggles where appropriate.

The cost of a set of measuring instruments, including verniers, micrometers, and a dial indicator, can run from $300.00 to $700.00.  Employers often purchase these and reimburse themselves with deductions from the apprentices' paychecks.

Machinists with experience can advance to supervisory positions.   With additional training, they may become tool and die makers or instrument makers.   Some open their own machine shops.

There will be a need for 441 additional machinists in Wisconsin between 1986 and 2000, according to the state's Labor Market Information Bureau.  The U.S. Department of Labor projects a need for 22,500 machinists nationwide through the 1900's.

Simply glance the "Skilled Trades" and "Professional Technical" sections of any newspaper and, regardless of  the economy, you'll see many employment opportunities available for Machinists, Tool and Die Makers, EDM, Moldmakers, and Patternmakers.

The types of metalworking skills needed by industry today are advancing as rapidly as technology.  Employers need people who know how to design on modeling software, integrate automation with machine tools and troubleshoot problems.  The nature of the metalworking trades is changing to encompass ever-higher technology skills.

Throughout an apprenticeship, a journeyworker will be attending technical college, earning good money and not accumulating the typical debt associated with attending college.  Upon completion of an apprenticeship, a journeyworker is already employed within his/her career field and is well on the way to above-average earnings potential.