CNC Machinist Technician

Where Precision Meets Power

Adult Costs

$570

Program Length

4 months

Next Start Date

3/9/2026

Enroll by

February 26th

Location

Main Campus

Learn More

Your name

Cutting-Edge Careers Start Here

As a CNC Machinist Technician, you’ll help set-up, maintain, and operate equipment, prepare materials, deburr parts, basic part inspection, and assist in ensuring smooth production using machinery used for shaping and assembling metal or plastic parts.

Avg. Salary

$43k

for OTECH Grads

Career Growth

1.70%

by 2032 in Utah

Day in the Life

You assist certified machinists in various tasks related to the operation, maintenance, and setup of machines used for cutting, shaping, and assembling metal or plastic parts. You perform a range of duties to support the machinists and ensure smooth workflow in a manufacturing or machining environment. As a CNC machinist technician, you combine hands-on skills loading and unloading parts, monitoring the machine, preventative maintenance, and organizing the area to support the machinist as needed.

Career Skills You'll Learn:

CNC Technician Fundamentals

Procedures and machining operations. Safety practices, SDS, basic measuring tools, and print reading, and concepts of operation of CNC equipment.

Machining Concepts

Basic machining concepts, including measuring equipment, refractometer reading, tool sharpening, basic inspection, and documentation of machined parts.

Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing

Learn how to interpret Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing on blueprints used in manufacturing using symbols, terms, datums, modifiers, and tolerance zones

Operation of CNC Mill

Understand safe setup and operation of CNC vertical mill, terminology, and follow setup sheets to run a CNC program.

Operation of CNC Lathe

Learn safe setup and operation of CNC lathe, including terminology, and follow setup sheets to run a CNC program.

Potential Career Paths

CNC Operator

Load and unload material in CNC equipment to create parts.

Assembly Technician

Assemble produced parts to match technical drawings and specifications.

Deburring Technician

Use machinery and hand tools to remove burrs, sharp edges, and imperfections from manufactured parts for a smooth and safe finish.

Saw Operator

Cut materials according to work orders and specifications by setting up the saw, adjusting it as needed, and selecting the appropriate blades.

Material Handler

Responsible for the movement, storage, and tracking of materials and products within a facility.

Certified Machinist (with further education)

With additional schooling you will manual and Cad program, select tools, and troubleshoot complex issues related to CNC machines.

OTECH Partners who hire our CNC Machinist Technician graduates

Program Overview

The essential role of a CNC Machinist Technician is to operate Computer Numerical Controlled Machines to create parts under the supervision of a machinist. As a critical member of the team, you’ll load parts into CNC machines and operate the machines safely and accurately to perform a variety of functions.

The CNC Machinist Technician program will introduce the concepts of basic machining using CNC Machines. Topics include print reading, preventative maintenance, basic precision measuring equipment, documentation, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, and operation of CNC Lathes and Mills. With your CNC Machinist Technician certificate, you can go on to complete a Machining Technology program while working as an intern or apprentice in the manufacturing industry.

Classroom Hours
Day: M-F 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Eve: T-Th 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Enrollment open to
Adults, High school students

Credit transfer option
Available to view here 

Tuition & Cost

Estimated Adult Tuition and Fees
$615.00

Estimated Materials Cost
$801.45

Estimated High School Student Cost
$170.00

Financial Aid Eligibility
Scholarship: Yes
VA: Yes
Pell Grant: No

Program Materials
MaterialRequiredNew
Notebook$4.65
Scientific Calculator$22.65
1 Yr. Tooling U Subscription$216.00
Safety Glasses Clear$2.99
Kibble,Meyer, Neely, White Machine Tool Practices. 11. ISBN: 978-0134985862$90.00
Smith & Peterson Mathematics for Machine Technology. 7th. Delmar Publishing, ISBN: 9781133281450$179.99
Subtotal of required materials$516.28
TEMT 1003 CNC Technician Fundamentals
MaterialRequiredNew
Quad Ruled Graph Paper$3.00
David L Taylor Print Reading For Machinists. 6th. Cengage, ISBN: 978-1-285-41961-8$106.45
Subtotal of required materials$109.45
TEMT 1015 Machining Concepts
MaterialRequiredNew
Quad Ruled Graph Paper$3.00
Subtotal of required materials$3.00
TEMT 1510 Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing Basic
MaterialRequiredNew
David A. Madsen & David P. Madsen Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing NE. 9th. Goodheart Wilcox, 2023. ISBN: 9781645646433$119.95
Subtotal of required materials$119.95
TEMT 1120 CNC Mill Basic Operation
MaterialRequiredNew
Peter Smid CNC Programming Handbook Ebook. 3rd. Industrial Press, ISBN: 978-083113347-4$55.77
Subtotal of required materials$55.77
TEMT 1220 CNC Lathe Basic Operation
MaterialRequiredNew
Peter Smid CNC Programming Handbook Ebook. 3rd. Industrial Press, ISBN: 978-083113347-4$55.77
Subtotal of required materials$55.77

This program has no admission requirements. You may start your admissions application at any time. 

3/9/2026
  • Obtain general knowledge in manufacturing settings.
  • Operate Computer Numerical Controlled Lathe.
  • Operate Computer Numerical Controlled Vertical Mill.
Course Syllabus →
Course NumberCourse NameCreditsCost
MACH0800CNC Technician Fundamentals2$190
MACH0805Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing1$95
MACH0810Machining Concepts1$95
MACH0815CNC Mill Basic Operations1$95
MACH0820CNC Lathe Basic Operation1$95
Bret Holmes

Bret is our Machinist Coordinator for the Machinist Program. He has 5 years of industry-related experience and has been an instructor at the college since 1997. He holds a B.A. in education and has an Associate of Applied Science degree in Machine Tool Technology/CNC. Bret also holds a U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeships & Training Machinist Certificate. He is a Certified Metalcutting (CMP) professional from Kennametal. Bret would enjoy the opportunity to discuss the Machining career with you.

Office Hours (by appointment)
M-F 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Instruction)
M-F 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Administrative)

Location
Manufacturing Tech 100l

bret.holmes@otech.edu

801-395-3795