Education · 1 of 4
The path
Two doors: a paid apprenticeship in a shop, or a two year technical college degree and then a shop. Most people end up doing a bit of both.
- 1
High school diploma or an equivalency certificate
Grade 12
Take every math and shop class offered. Geometry and trigonometry are used daily, not theoretically.
- 2
Get into a shop
Weeks to months
Apply to a registered apprenticeship at a manufacturer, or start as a machine operator and ask to move into the tool room.
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Technical college, if you go that route
2 years
A two year associate degree in machine tool or precision machining technology. Programs cover manual milling and turning, measurement, CNC (computer numerical control) machining, CAD (computer aided design) and CAM (computer aided manufacturing) software, mold and die making and EDM (electrical discharge machining).
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Paid work plus classroom training
4 to 5 years
A registered apprenticeship in this trade normally runs about 8,000 hours of paid work, which is roughly four years, plus a few hundred hours of related instruction.
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Journeyman toolmaker
After the hours
You work unsupervised, quote jobs and fix dies that nobody else can. Stack credentials from the National Institute for Metalworking Skills as you go.