CNC Operator - Milling and Turning- Technician

Cost: $5,000
Length: 260 weeks
Working 6 months later: Not reported

Program names and program descriptions appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Occupation titles are translated where O*NET publishes a Spanish name. 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 job 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.

Related work California expects more of

The U.S. Department of Labor lists these as related to the job above, and California projects growth in them rather than decline. Related is not the same as interchangeable: the training, the licenses and the pay can all differ, and this program does not train for these. It is a place to start asking, not a recommendation.

Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$83,963 · +10% · 15 programs here

Where California publishes a separate figure for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.

Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators

Job ads may call this: Machine Operator · Machine Set Up Operator · CNC Operator (Computer Numerical Control Operator) · CNC Machinist (Computer Numerical Control Machinist)

Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.

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 4 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.
Implement changes to machine programs, and enter new specifications, using computers.
Calculate machine speed and feed ratios and the size and position of cuts.

What this pays in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County)

Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.

Area	The lowest-paid tenth earn under	Half earn under	The highest-paid tenth earn over
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County)	$40,706	$57,870	$78,683
Across California	$40,575	$57,799	$78,593

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.

Typical pay in California: $57,799per yearLos Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: $56,469
Projected openings: 16,320Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 4,430
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

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.

Program details

This program provides in-person instruction only.

A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to operate computer numerically controlled CNC machine tools such as lathes mills precision measuring tools and related attachments and accessories to perform machining functions such as cutting drilling shaping and finishing products and component parts. Includes instruction in CNC terminology setup programming operations and troubleshooting blueprint reading machining lathe and mill operations technical mathematics computer literacy CAD CAM systems shop and safety practices equipment capabilities and regulations and laws.The term of the occupation shall be defined by the attainment of all competencies of the position, which would be reasonably expected to occur within 4,000 hours of OJL, supplemented by the minimum required 144 hours of related instruction each year, based on the specific employers needs.

Provider's website →

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 (2026-09-18). 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.

Ask before you enroll, not after

The order the rules set out starts at the center rather than at the school. Before a center can find somebody eligible for training services it has to gather enough to decide, at a minimum through an interview, evaluation or assessment and career planning. Referring a person to the provider they have chosen and setting up the account both come after that, and both are the center's to do — the account is a payment agreement with the training provider, and it is the provider that is paid through it. So the call belongs before enrolling and before paying. Anyone who has already done either should still ask, and ask what it means for them.

The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California

Gardena South Bay One Stop Business and Career CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 310-538-7070
16801 S Western AvenueSuite AGardena, CA 90247about 1.2 miles away
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 8 am-5 pm, Friday 8 am-4:30 pm. Closed every other Friday
South Bay One-Stop Business & Career Centers - TorranceAffiliate site
Phone: 310-782-2101
1220 Engracia AvenueTorrance, CA 90501about 3.1 miles away
Hours: Monday-Thursday 8am-5pm, Friday 8am-4:30pm
Has a veterans' representative
South Bay One-Stop Business & Career Center - CarsonAffiliate site
Phone: 310-680-3870
801 E Carson StreetRoom 116 Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community CenterCarson, CA 90745about 5.2 miles away
Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:00am – 5:00pm; Every other Friday 8:00-3:30pm Closed every other Friday
Has a veterans' representative

At a comprehensive center all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. 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 →