CNC Machinist
Q.P.E. Technical Institute · Anaheim, CA
- Cost
- $5,145
- Length
- 12 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
No outcomes reported for this program
About a third of California programs report nothing. That is a fact about the program's reporting, not evidence that it works or does not.
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Shrinking -11.5%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
Where California publishes a separate figure for Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Machinists
Job ads may call this: Machinist · Gear Machinist · Tool Room Machinist · Production Machinist
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as micrometers or vernier calipers.
- Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders.
- Measure, examine, or test completed units to check for defects and ensure conformance to specifications, using precision instruments, such as micrometers.
- Set up, adjust, or operate basic or specialized machine tools used to perform precision machining operations.
Show 2 more things this job involves
- Program computers or electronic instruments, such as numerically controlled machine tools.
- Study sample parts, blueprints, drawings, or engineering information to determine methods or sequences of operations needed to fabricate products.
- Typical pay in California
- $58,495per yearAnaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: $51,816
- Projected openings
- 18,420Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 3,470
- Projected change
- -1.6%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- More than a year
New hires are trained on the job for more than a year after they start. The classroom part is the beginning of this work, not the whole of it.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 45% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 9% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 9%
- High school diploma
- 45%
- Started college, no degree
- 27%
- Two-year degree
- 13%
- Four-year degree
- 4%
- Master's degree
- 0.4%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.2%
This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Machine Operator · Machine Set Up Operator · CNC Operator (Computer Numerical Control Operator) · CNC Machinist (Computer Numerical Control Machinist)
- Measure dimensions of finished workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments, templates, and fixtures.
- Set up and operate computer-controlled machines or robots to perform one or more machine functions on metal or plastic workpieces.
- Mount, install, align, and secure tools, attachments, fixtures, and workpieces on machines, using hand tools and precision measuring instruments.
- Review program specifications or blueprints to determine and set machine operations and sequencing, finished workpiece dimensions, or numerical control sequences.
Show 2 more things this job involves
- Stop machines to remove finished workpieces or to change tooling, setup, or workpiece placement, according to required machining sequences.
- Listen to machines during operation to detect sounds such as those made by dull cutting tools or excessive vibration, and adjust machines to compensate for problems.
- Typical pay in California
- $57,799per yearAnaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: $55,310
- Projected openings
- 16,320Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 3,020
- Projected change
- -11.5%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 41% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 10% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 10%
- High school diploma
- 41%
- Started college, no degree
- 26%
- Two-year degree
- 12%
- Four-year degree
- 9%
- Master's degree
- 0.9%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.7%
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Programmer · Numerical Control Programmer (NC Programmer) · CNC Tech (Computer Numerical Control Technician) · CAD Programmer (Computer-Aided Design Programmer)
- Determine the sequence of machine operations, and select the proper cutting tools needed to machine workpieces into the desired shapes.
- Analyze job orders, drawings, blueprints, specifications, printed circuit board pattern films, and design data to calculate dimensions, tool selection, machine speeds, and feed rates.
- Observe machines on trial runs or conduct computer simulations to ensure that programs and machinery will function properly and produce items that meet specifications.
- Write programs in the language of a machine's controller and store programs on media, such as punch tapes, magnetic tapes, or disks.
Show 2 more things this job involves
- Determine reference points, machine cutting paths, or hole locations, and compute angular and linear dimensions, radii, and curvatures.
- Enter computer commands to store or retrieve parts patterns, graphic displays, or programs that transfer data to other media.
- Typical pay in California
- $83,963per yearAnaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: $79,315
- Projected openings
- 3,190Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 540
- Projected change
- +10%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary non-degree award
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 41% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: Postsecondary non-degree award. That is not one of the steps below, so there is no way to count how many people meet it.
- No high school diploma
- 10%
- High school diploma
- 41%
- Started college, no degree
- 26%
- Two-year degree
- 12%
- Four-year degree
- 9%
- Master's degree
- 0.9%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.7%
It is also measured on a different scale from “Usually needs” above, so the two cannot be subtracted from one another.
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
CNC machinist program is designed to provide students with real time manufacturing experience. Modern industrial equipment is utilized. Machine set-up, operation and programming are covered. Students participate in the design, manufacturing and verification of products from typical manufacturing materials.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.
The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator
Anaheim Workforce ConnectionComprehensive center
Phone: 714-765-4350
201 S. Anaheim BoulevardWest Tower Suite 203Anaheim, CA 92805about 2.1 miles away
Hours: Mon. thru Fri 8:00 - 5:00
Has a veterans' representative
Orange County Workforce Solutions Center - BreaComprehensive center
Phone: 866-500-6587
675 Placentia AvenueSuite 330Brea, CA 92821about 6.4 miles away
Hours: Monday- Friday 9am-6pm Saturday 9am-1pm - EDD Hours-Monday -Friday 8am-5pm
Has a veterans' representative
Orange County Workforce Solutions Center Joint Forces Training Base Los AlamitosAffiliate site
Phone: 866-500-6587
11206 Lexington DriveMilitary and Veterans Resource Center Suite 244Los Alamitos, CA 90720about 6.7 miles away
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
Has a veterans' representative
Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →