General Machinists are skilled craftspeople who set up and operate precision metal cutting and grinding machines including lathes, milling machines, drills, shapers, boring mills, and grinders. They may use equipment to manufacture, install, operate, adjust, and repair machine tools and other machines in common use.
Job Related Skills, Interests and Values
- Reading and understanding blueprints, charts, and tables
- Making, fitting, and assembling parts using your hands or hand/power tools
- Accurately estimating and measuring sizes and distances; working with numbers
- Laying out work pieces to prepare for the job
- Identifying and comparing slight differences in objects
- Working independently at tasks that require concentration and physical effort
What Preparation and Training Do You Need?
- Secondary school diploma required
- Completion of apprenticeship, including 7,280-hours of on-the-job and in-school training
- Completion of required exams and hours of employment to obtain Journeyperson certificate
What's Your Future as a General Machinist (429A)?
- Full-time; may be in small shops with 2-3 machinists or in large ones with hundreds
- Job prospects improve for machinists with CNC programming skills and experience
- Employers include primary steel producers and manufacturers of motor vehicles and parts, machinery and equipment, and aircrafts and parts
Wage Rate
Apprentice wage starts lower than a journeyperson's and increases with skill and experience. Fully qualified workers earn an average of $28.85-$40.00 per hour.
Self-Rating
General Machinist (429A)
| Ask Yourself: | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Do you have good hand-eye coordination? | ||
| Can you spot the differences when looking at objects? | ||
| Do you have excellent reading and writing skills? | ||
| Are you able to follow Health & Safety guidelines? | ||
| Are you a continual learner? | ||
| Do you enjoy working with numbers? | ||
| Are you reliable? Do you have good time-management skills? |
If you checked YES to the majority of these questions, a career as a General Machinist (429A) may be for you!
You might want to look at these similar trades as well;
- Tool & Die Maker
- Millwright
- Locksmith
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