HOW TO GET THERE
Typical pathway
A typical path starts with secondary school courses in math, shop, drafting, and computer or technical classes. Some students then take a college or trade program in machining or a related field, while others learn through an employer apprenticeship or a mix of classroom training and on-the-job experience, depending on the province or employer. Early experience in a machine shop, manufacturing plant, or school lab can help build skills with drawings, measuring tools, lathes, mills, and CNC machines. Strong attention to detail, problem-solving, and safe tool use are important.
THE WORK
What you may do
Legacy duties
- Read and interpret engineering drawings, blueprints, charts and tables or study sample parts to determine machining operation to be performed, and plan best sequence of operations
- Compute dimensions and tolerances and measure and lay out work pieces
- Set up, operate and maintain a variety of machine tools including computer numerically controlled (CNC) tools to perform precision, non-repetitive machining operations such as sawing, turning, milling, boring, planing, drilling, precision grinding and other operations
- Fit and assemble machined metal parts and subassemblies using hand and power tools
- Verify dimensions of products for accuracy and conformance to specifications using precision measuring instruments
- May set up and program machine tools for use by machining tool operators.