Machinist Apprenticeship in Illinois
Machinists set up and operate the lathes, mills, and CNC machines that turn raw metal into precision parts — aerospace components, medical devices, automotive internals. The job mixes shop-floor operation with blueprint reading, CAM programming, and quality inspection.
Machinist Apprenticeship in Illinois: Quick Facts
What apprenticeship means here
A registered machinist apprenticeship in Illinois combines paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Programs typically run 4.0 years and follow a time-based structure. You earn wages from day one — apprentices are employees, not students.
Illinois pay vs. national
Median machinist wages in Illinois are $56,700/year, +1% above the national median of $56,150. Wages scale with experience — journey-level workers earn substantially more than apprentices.
Where to find programs
Illinois has 27 registered apprenticeship sponsors for machinist listed in the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov directory. The sponsor list further down includes joint labor-management programs (JATCs), individual employers, and contractor associations.
Job-market outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 0.0% job growth for machinists nationally between 2024 and 2034, with approximately 29,500 annual openings each year (replacement plus growth combined). Apprenticeship demand tends to track local construction and infrastructure spending — Illinois-specific outlook can vary from national figures.
Illinois Wage Spread
Annual wages for Machinists in Illinois across all experience levels.
Current Machinist Apprenticeship Openings in Illinois
No machinist apprenticeship openings are currently listed on apprenticeship.gov for Illinois. The sponsors listed below accept applications on a rolling basis — contact them directly. Consider setting up an alert on apprenticeship.gov to be notified when new listings are posted.
Listings aggregated from apprenticeship.gov (US Dept. of Labor). Data refreshed daily.
Machinist Apprenticeship Sponsors in Illinois
27 machinist-related registered sponsors identified in the DOL ApprenticeshipUSA directory for Illinois. Directory lists sponsor names only — contact each organization directly to confirm current machinist apprenticeship openings.
| Organization | City | |
|---|---|---|
| KENMODE TOOL AND ENGINEERING, INC. | Algonquin | |
| Hommer Tool & Mfg., Inc. | Arlington Heights | |
| MFXG INC; dba Fidelity Tool and Mold, | Batavia | |
| Chelar Tool & Die, Inc. | Belleville | |
| Chicago DOT and Machinist & Aerospace Workers Local 126 | Chicago | |
| City of Chicago & IAMAW Local #126 | Chicago | |
| RELIANCE TOOL & MANUFACTURING CO. | Elgin | |
| Weiss-Aug Group Diemasters | Elk Grove Village | |
| Center Tool Co | Hampshire | |
| KNUTH Machine Tools USA, Inc. | Lincolnshire | |
| Atlas Tool Works, Inc. | Lyons | |
| RG MANUFACTURING AND MACHINING INC. | Machesney Park | |
| Ramcel Precision Stamping and Manufacturing LLC | Northbrook | |
| Tibor Machine Products | Rock Island | |
| ADVANCED MACHINE & ENGINEERING CO. | Rockford | |
| CONTINENTAL MACHINE COMPANY | Rockford | |
| ROCKFORD TOOLCRAFT, INC. | Rockford | |
| Rock River Valley Tooling & Machining Association - RRVTMA | Rockford | |
| FOREST CITY GEAR COMPANY | Roscoe | |
| Helm Tool Company Inc | Schaumburg | |
| Manor Tool and Manufacturing | Schiller Park | |
| Wesco Machine & Tool Inc. | Shorewood | |
| MUSHRO MACHINE TOOL COMPANY | Streator | |
| Kliman Machining | Sugar Grove | |
| Domeny Tool & Stamping Company | Wauconda | |
| + 2 more sponsors in Illinois | ||
Filter by occupation code 51-4041 and state IL for the most relevant results.
Machinist Apprenticeship in Illinois
Program availability in Illinois is moderate: 27 Machinist-related sponsors in our directory. Candidates in major cities will find multiple options; those in smaller markets may need to commute or relocate within the state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Prefer Trade School Instead?
Apprenticeships pay from day one, but the classroom-first path may fit better for some. Machinists also train through trade school programs — shorter timeline, more upfront cost.