How to Become a Machinist

In every culture, people have transmitted skills from one generation to another. Most often the father and mother have passed their skills along to their children. Four thousand years ago, the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi made provisions for artisans to teach their crafts to youth. Later, the records of Egypt, Greece, and Rome reveal that skills were still being passed on in this fashion.

During the middle Ages, the guild system evolved in Europe. This system of indenturing people for the purpose of teaching them craft skills was the forerunner of the apprenticeship system practiced today. When America was settled, craft workers coming to the New World brought with them the remnants of the guild system, which had gradually evolved into today's apprenticeship system.

As an example, the American colonial patriot, Paul Revere, was a member of a family that was famous for its silversmithing. Paul and his younger brother, Thomas, had learned their craft from their father. In turn, two of Paul's sons served apprentice-ships in the family's Boston shop. Paul himself later became a coppersmith and founded the American copper and brass industry in 1802, at the age of 67. His company later became part of the present-day Revere Copper and Brass Company, which produces widely used cookware.



Another famous American, a contemporary of Paul Revere, was Benjamin Franklin. He, too, became an apprentice at the age of twelve. Franklin was apprenticed to his older brother, James, to learn the art of printing. He later became famous as a printer and newspaper publisher, even before his other outstanding achievements and inventions.

The American apprenticeship system has grown and expanded considerably. Like America, it is still growing and changing. Today it serves a far different nation than the one of pioneer days. The new apprenticeship system now responds to scientific discoveries, new teaching methods, expanding industry, and an increasing population.

Apprenticeship has been, and continues to be, the most common method of entering the skilled trades. However, there are several alternatives. First, let's examine today's apprenticeship system.

What Is Apprenticeship?

Apprenticeship is a voluntary system of training in occupations that require a diverse range of skills and knowledge, as well as maturity and independence of judgment. It involves planned, day-by-day training on the job and experience under proper supervision, combined with technical studies in subjects related to the occupation.

Apprenticeship gives men and women comprehensive instruction and experience, both on and off the job, in all the practical and theoretical aspects of the work required in a skilled occupation. Through rotation from one division of work to another and related technical instruction, apprentices acquire additional skills, master the application of those already learned, and develop independence of judgment. This system enables them to be productive during their entire period of training.

Most apprenticeship programs in the metalworking trades are one to five years long. To master a particular trade, an apprentice must learn and perfect each skill and bring those skills up to the speed and accuracy required for the job.

Apprenticeship Legislation

The first legislation in the United States to promote an organized system of apprenticeship was enacted in Wisconsin in 1911. That law placed all apprenticeship activities under the jurisdiction of an industrial commission.

During the 1920s, many employers, labor organizations, educators, and government officials combined their efforts to bring about a national uniform apprenticeship system. The vital need for a comprehensive training system had become apparent during World War I and in the economic boom that followed.

In August, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Federal Committee on Apprentice Training as an advisory committee for the Secretary of Labor. That committee, today known as the Federal Committee on Apprenticeship, continues to advise the Secretary of Labor on all matters pertaining to apprenticeship training and education.

In 1937, the National Apprenticeship Act was passed by Congress. It created the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training (BAT) under the U.S. Department of Labor to promote and supervise apprenticeship activities throughout the country. Many states have since enacted separate state legislation setting standards and requirements for the apprenticeship programs. A list of the Federal Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training offices is contained in appendix C. Correspondingly, a list of offices of those states that have separate apprenticeship agencies is in appendix D.

Apprenticeship Programs

Apprenticeship programs are conducted or sponsored by employers. Typically, the identification and definition of skills is called the Apprenticeship Standard.

The typical apprenticeship is made up of two major components:

1. On-the-job training
   
   
2. Classroom instruction related to on-the-job training.
   

In the metalworking industry, an apprenticeship program is typically four years of on-the-job training encompassing approximately eight thousand hours (two thousand hours per year). While the apprentice is working on the job, he or she will normally take at least 144 hours of classroom instruction per year. Most often this means two hours of class per night, twice a week during a thirty-six-week school year, although this formula varies. A sample of the classroom component of an apprenticeship program for machinists also follows later in this chapter.

The employer and the apprentice employee enter into a formal written agreement that sets out the work processes the apprentice will learn, the hours he or she will work, and the wages the apprentice will be paid during the program. The employer agrees to provide employment and training and the employee apprentice agrees to learn the skills identified.

At the end of the apprenticeship program, the graduating journey person receives a certificate of completion, similar to the diploma awarded by academic institutions. An apprenticeship program is comparable, in many aspects, to an advanced academic program except that the apprentice is working and earning while learning. The certificates are issued either by the Federal Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training or the state apprenticeship agency.

The apprenticeship program is typically supervised by an apprenticeship committee composed of representatives of management and labor. Frequently, national trade associations and labor unions develop and provide much of the materials and content of the apprenticeship programs.

Every apprenticeship program has basic standards or rules that must be followed closely. Below are the essential ones:

• The starting age of an apprentice is not younger than 16.
  
  
• There is a full and fair opportunity to apply for apprenticeship positions.
  
  
• There is a schedule of work processes in which an apprentice is to receive training and experience on the job.
  
  
• The program includes organized instruction designed to provide apprentices with knowledge in technical subjects related to their trade.
  
  
• The apprentice's progress, both in job performance and related instruction is evaluated periodically and appropriate records are maintained.
  
  
• There is a schedule of wages with progressive increases for successful achievers.
  
  
• Proper supervision of on-the-job training with adequate facilities to train apprentices is ensured.
  
  
• There is employee-employer cooperation.
  
  
• Successful completions are recognized.
  
  
• There is no discrimination in any phase of selection, employment, or training.
  

In the metalworking trades, a machinist apprentice program includes an opportunity to become familiar with all major equipment used in the shop. Usually in four years a novice or beginner can become a journeyperson machinist.

The apprentice is taught by competent shop people. Training generally begins with simple tasks and progresses to more difficult ones. The apprentice learns by actual practice how to set up and operate the standard machine tools. The apprentice also learns to use all of the bench and hand tools as well as all measuring and inspection instruments. The apprentice is taught how to read and interpret blueprints and apply practical shop mathematics to solve problems in shop procedure.

During this hands-on shop training the apprentice is also attending classes to learn the theory related to the various skills and processes that must be mastered during the apprenticeship program.