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Manitoba
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Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade

Trade Programs: Machinist

For more information about this trade, contact the training co-ordinator.

What does a Machinist do?

A machinist sets up and operates equipment such as lathes, milling machines, saws, grinding machines, drilling and boring machines, shapers, planers, precision measuring tools, hand and power tools, and related attachments and accessories. These cutting tools are used to manufacture and repair parts and products made from metals, plastics, rubber textiles, fiberglass and space age alloys.

While some machinists specialize and others work on many tools, they are trained to:

*You can also train to be a cnc machinist after you complete either your machinist or tool & die certification. A cnc machinist is someone who programs, sets up and operates metal cutting computer numerical control machines including:

What skills/abilities are required?

If you like working with metal and crafting with hand and power tools, consider a career as a machinist. The work is rewarding for those who enjoy doing creative work with machinery that requires a high degree of skill and precision. Machinists must be familiar with the properties of metals so that annealing and hardening of tools and metal parts can be accomplished when turning a block of metal into an intricate precise part. They must also understand the effects of heat treatment on metals and be skilled in the performance of various heat treatment processes.

In order to be successful, cnc machinists must utilize their knowledge of manufacturing materials, codes, engineering drawings, regulations and laws and capabilities of the equipment being used. They also require an ability to operate manual and cnc tools as well as the ability to determine the most appropriate means of proceeding with the work and inspection.

To be successful in their trade, machinists and cnc machinists need:

How long is the apprenticeship program

To be a machinist, the apprenticeship is four years of four levels. Practical and technical training is a minimum of 1800 hours per level. About 80 per cent of the time is spent learning practical on-the-job skills under the supervision of a certified journeyperson and 20 per cent consists of learning the theoretical and technical aspects of the trade through in-school training.

The length of the cnc machinist apprenticeship is one year consisting of one level. Practical training is a minimum of 1800 hours. About 80 per cent of the time is spent learning practical on-the-job skills under the supervision of a certified journeyperson and 20 per cent consists of learning the theoretical and technical aspects of the trade through in-school training.

What is taught during in-school/technical training?

Machinists attend technical training during each level of their apprenticeship. Subject includes:

The cnc machinist technical training program consists of:

What is the supervision ratio?

As experience comprises the bulk of apprenticeship training, it is essential that each apprentice has on-site access to a skilled journeyperson and receives the attention and guidance necessary to perform the tasks of the trade safely and efficiently.

For every apprentice working in the machinist trade, the employer is required to maintain a 1:1 ratio of apprentices to journeypersons on-site and must ensure that the apprentice is directly supervised by a certified journeyperson in the trade.

For every apprentice working the cnc machinist trade, the employer must not exceed a 1:2 ratio of apprentices to journeypersons on-site and must ensure that the apprentice is directly supervised by a certified journeyperson in the trade.

What are the entrance requirements?

Senior Years Apprenticeship Option: Begin your apprenticeship training in high school. A minimum age of 16 years in required.

General Admission: A Grade 12 or equivalent high school academic standing is required including a recommended course in Math. If you are 19 years or older and do not hold a high school diploma, you can also qualify as a Mature Student. Prior Learning Recognition and Assessment may be required.

* In order to be eligible for a cnc machinist apprenticeship program, certification as a machinist or tool & die maker is required.

Trades Qualification: If you are experienced in the trade, but do not hold a Certificate of Qualification, you may become a certified journeyperson based on years of proven industry experience and successful completion of the Red Seal Examination. A Trades Qualification Application and trade specific work experience form must be submitted. Trades professionals whose entrance readiness is less than that required, must take appropriate upgrading.

For additional details on entrance requirements and how to begin your apprenticeship or obtain certification, see section on "How to Start".

Do I get a certificate?

When you successfully complete all your required levels of practical experience and technical training for the machinist trade, you write an interprovincial examination. You must score at least 70 per cent or better to qualify for a “Red Seal” endorsed interprovincial certificate confirming your status as a certified journeyperson.

Your “Red Seal” endorsed Certificate of Qualification as a journeyperson in this trade is recognized throughout Canada.

After successfully completing the required level of practical experience and technical training for the cnc machinist trade, you must write a Provincial examination and score at least 70 percent confirming your status as a certified journeyperson.

What salary can I expect as an apprentice?

Manitoba's Machinist Regulation states that when an apprentice is not taking technical training, an employer must pay the apprentice at least the provincial minimum wage plus:

Apprentices who work for unionized employers are entitled to the wage rate in the collective agreement if this rate exceeds the pay rates specified in the trade regulation. Being an apprentice in the cnc machinist trade does not limit or reduce the wages and benefits that the person is able to achieve as a journeyperson machinist or tool & die maker.

Employers may also provide other benefits such as group insurance for health, dental and vision care and training benefits. In total, the value of the benefits can range from 20 per cent to 30 per cent over and above the basic hourly pay rate.

Current wage details are available by downloading the training wage schedule

What are the career prospects?

Machinists are needed in virtually any business or industry where machines are manufactured, repaired or used. This includes large machine shops in factories and government departments and small job shops in both urban and rural settings. To assemble precision products, machinists work closely with welders, tool and die makers and millwrights.

The variety of work involved, coupled with the range of fields open to machinists, makes specialization within this trade fairly common. As precise and detailed work is a large part of a machinist's job, the industry is seeing an increased use of computer controlled machinery. This means machinists must be comfortable working with advanced equipment and continually look at upgrading their skills. Experienced machinists may advance to positions such as inspector foreman or superintendent. Some machinists start small job shops of their own. With additional training they may transfer their skills to related occupations such as Tool and Die Maker or Millwright. Additionally they may become certified as CNC Mechanists who are also found working in industrial or commercial sectors such as manufacturing, fabrication and assembly plants.

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