One way is to pick up the trade, that is, get any kind of job in a machine shop that would bring you in contact with machines and tools. You might be an errand runner or a helper. By keeping your eyes and ears open and by taking every possible opportunity of practicing on the bench and on the machines, eventually you will learn enough to operate a machine or do some of the minor jobs around the shop. You might have to go from shop to shop to avoid repetitive work or getting into a blind-alley occupation.
Obviously this is an unstructured and haphazard way of learning the trade. It takes a great deal of time and it is unsupervised, discouraging, unsystematic, and apt to leave you with some bad trade habits or in some narrowly specialized job with no future. The best approach is the four-year formal apprenticeship method, which provides specific, systematic, and logically progressive training in all the fundamentals of the trade under the skilled supervision of master machinists and teachers.
Most companies wish that the apprentice applicants be graduates of a high school, technical school, or vocational high school. Some employers even require that the applicant be in the upper half of his or her graduating class. Most employers have a probationary period of six months during which the new apprentice must either show promise or be dropped. Another consideration is the length of the training period.
Although the usual term of apprenticeship is four years or, sometimes, five years, this can be shortened under certain conditions.
Some time may be credited toward the apprentice program if the apprentice has graduated from a vocational or technical high school or for previous work experience in machine shops, or perhaps for machinist work performed as a member of the armed services.
There are also some excellent training opportunities besides apprenticeship programs. Many companies have highly structured training programs. Some include classroom instruction while some are strictly on-the-job training. Some programs are designed to produce machine operators or specialists rather than all-around machinists. The shop and the trainee do not enter into a contract or agreement. The trainee is hired and taught to use a machine, such as an engine lathe or drill press, by one of the experienced operators. The trainee generally starts with simple jobs and progresses to the more difficult ones until the work can be performed without supervision. The training period may vary from six months to a year or more, depending upon the type of work the particular shop produces. The graduate of this type of program may become a semiskilled production machine specialist or advance to a skilled tool room machine operator. The graduate may also learn to both read blueprints and do shop mathematics.
This is one way to make a start in the machinist trades without going through a long apprenticeship. With proper supervision, motivation, and hard work the path may lead to all-around skills opportunities.
However, suppose you cannot secure an apprenticeship or training opportunity such as described. What then? If you are still determined to be a machinist, you can explore the courses given by public, private, and semipublic agencies.
Many cities and communities operate skills centers where adults may secure either free or for a small fee the basic training they need to enter a trade. These skills centers are supported by state and federal government funding. Check with the nearest employment service office.
In many cities there are good public and private trade and technical schools. However, you should make careful inquiry before signing up at any private institutions. Be wary of schools that claim to turn out highly skilled mechanics in a short period of time. Make sure their claims of immediate job placements are valid. Do not be pressured into signing any contracts. Be careful, too, to check out the course content of the public vocational technical schools because, even though the training may be free or nominal in cost, if the program does not teach useful skills, it will be a waste of your time.
Although the great majority of private vocational schools do a good job of instruction and placement and have good records of reliability, make careful inquiry before signing up for training.
In New York, for example, the State Consumer Protection Board found that some private schools were enrolling trainees who were patently unqualified. Some trained people for occupations in which there were few openings for beginners. Others took advantage of low-income applicants who were eligible for government tuition grants. Because of such abuses, some state and local governments have strengthened regulations on these schools. However, not all abusive practices have been eliminated-be careful!
The following suggestions might help you to select a proper school:
- Watch out for the blind advertisement. Make sure the name and address of the school are given in the ad. Try to verify any advertising or other claims that sound exaggerated. Think twice about schools that, "guarantee employment," but expect placement service to be offered. Beware of "high-pressure" sales talks. Check out the school with your local Better Business Bureau.
- Check the view of prospective employers in your area. What do they think of the recent graduates of the school?
- Look for well-defined admissions requirements, an in-depth interview, and/or some type of standardized admission test. Be sure you understand your ranking or grade on the test.
- Visit the school personally and talk with the instructors. Have they had practical experience in data processing?
- Ask the school for names and addresses of graduates in your own locality. Ask these graduates for their opinions of the school's courses, faculty, and services.
- Be sure you get a receipt for your tuition down payment and a copy of the enrollment agreement.
