Machinist Apprenticeship in Virginia
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 Virginia: Quick Facts
What apprenticeship means here
A registered machinist apprenticeship in Virginia 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.
Virginia pay vs. national
Median machinist wages in Virginia are $60,920/year, +8% above the national median of $56,150. Wages scale with experience — journey-level workers earn substantially more than apprentices.
Where to find programs
Virginia has 18 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 — Virginia-specific outlook can vary from national figures.
Virginia Wage Spread
Annual wages for Machinists in Virginia across all experience levels.
Current Machinist Apprenticeship Openings in Virginia
No machinist apprenticeship openings are currently listed on apprenticeship.gov for Virginia. 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 Virginia
18 machinist-related registered sponsors identified in the DOL ApprenticeshipUSA directory for Virginia. Directory lists sponsor names only — contact each organization directly to confirm current machinist apprenticeship openings.
| Organization | City |
|---|---|
| Classic Machine & Engineering | Ashland |
| PETE BURR MACHINE WORKS, INC. | Grottoes |
| S & S MACHINE, INC. | Madison Heights |
| Commercial Tool and Die | Marshall |
| Craft Machine Works | Newport News |
| CNK Machine Manufacturing | North Chesterfield |
| High-Tech Machine Mfg. | North Chesterfield |
| Marco Machine and Design | North Chesterfield |
| COLLINS MACHINE WORKS | Portsmouth |
| AMERICAN MACHINE COMPANY | Richmond |
| COMMERCIAL MACHINE INC | Richmond |
| JEWETT Machine Manufacturing Company | Richmond |
| Advanced Machining Solutions | Roanoke |
| KOSMO MACHINE INC. | Sandston |
| Machine Tool Technology dba Richmond Tooling | South Chesterfield |
| BLUE RIDGE MACHINE WORKS, INC. | Verona |
| Industrial Machine Works | Waynesboro |
| QUALITY MACHINE SERVICE | Waynesboro |
Filter by occupation code 51-4041 and state VA for the most relevant results.
Machinist Apprenticeship in Virginia
Program availability in Virginia is moderate: 18 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.