CNC machinist training in Wisconsin

31 CNC machinist programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

13 schools offer these machinist programs, and Wisconsin has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Machinists set up and run equipment, including computer-controlled (CNC) machines, to make precision metal parts and tools. Community colleges and technical schools offer certificates and two-year degrees that teach reading engineering drawings and programming CNC machines.¹ In Wisconsin, 22 of the 31 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 6 are taught partly or fully online.

See the 31 programs

How much does CNC machinist training cost in Wisconsin?

$2,280 to $6,994 is what most CNC machinist programs in Wisconsin cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 31 programs with a price. All of them: $680 to $11,224

In the typical program

Finished the program: 73%
Working 6 months later: 77%
Earned a year, estimated: about $43,800
Length: 28 to 61 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Wisconsin may also offer CNC machinist training. How these figures are made

Is there free CNC machinist training in Wisconsin?

Yes, if you qualify. WIOA (public workforce funding) can pay for any program on this page, in full or in part, depending on local limits.²³⁴In program year 2024 it paid toward the training of at least 3 people at 1 of the 31 programs here.
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁵ Before funding training, the center goes through an assessment and a career plan with you.⁴
Or pay yourself. Most machinist programs in Wisconsin cost $2,280 to $6,994. Prices on this page run from $680 to $11,224.
Or earn while you learn. Apprentices are paid for their work on the job.⁶ 2 of the 31 programs here are apprenticeships.

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: paid apprenticeships, financial aid and the GI Bill

CNC machinist training in Rice Lake, Milwaukee, Wausau and other Wisconsin cities

Choosing an area filters the list below. 5 more programs are in 4 other areas, 1 in smaller cities and towns.

How to pay for CNC machinist training in Wisconsin

WIOA funding can pay for CNC machinist training in Wisconsin

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.⁴

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁵

Paid machinist apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a job: you're paid to learn, with a raise as your skills grow, and most include classroom teaching. You apply to the employer or the program sponsor. Ask what you'll pay for the classroom part and what you'll earn on the job.⁶

Financial aid and grants for CNC machinist training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.⁷⁸

GI Bill for CNC machinist training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.⁹

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Quick facts: CNC machinist training in Wisconsin

programs with a price cost under $2,000: 6 of 31
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 17th of 30
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less: 8 of 11
CNC machinist programs here, against the typical state's 8: 31 vs 8

State comparisons use the same figures as the CNC machinist training by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Machinist apprenticeships in Wisconsin

A machinist apprenticeship is usually run by an employer. It combines paid training on the job with related classes and lasts several years.¹

You apply to the employer or the program sponsor, not through a school.⁶ The Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Finder lists openings by place and job. This page lists 2 machinist apprenticeships approved for WIOA funding in Wisconsin. Ask what you'll pay for the classes and what you'll earn on the job.

Show only the 2 machinist apprenticeships

What is an apprenticeship, and can WIOA pay for one?

Where the Wisconsin machinist program numbers come from

Which Wisconsin machinist programs are on this list?

These are the machinist programs Wisconsin approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).¹⁰ The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Wisconsin offers.

How Wisconsin machinist program prices are reported

The price is tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported it. "Trained with WIOA funding" on a program counts the people whose training there WIOA paid toward through a training account in program year 2024; the file never gives counts under 3, so a program without the line may still take WIOA students. It does not say how much of the price WIOA covered. Prices under $100 are treated as not reported, because the file holds many blanks entered as $0. Check the current price with the school.

What the graduate results of these programs measure

The figures at the top of this page are the middle program among those that report results: half did better, half did worse. Results describe students who left each program in recent years: the share who finished, the share working in the second quarter after leaving, and the middle earnings of those working in that quarter. States report earnings for that one quarter because they take them from the wage reports employers file every three months. The yearly figure here is that quarter times four, rounded to the nearest $100: an estimate, and an early one, since it is measured about half a year after training. The quarter as reported is under "More details" on each program. Results are withheld for small programs, and they describe past students, so they are no guarantee.

Why do some machinist programs say "Not reported"?

Where a school or the state left a field empty, or the Department of Labor withheld it, the page says "Not reported". Nothing here is estimated to fill a gap.

Why the kind of school is left off each program

The file also records whether a school is public, private or nonprofit, but those entries are wrong too often to print next to a school's name, so this page leaves them out.

Sources for the facts about CNC machinist training in Wisconsin

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CNC machinist training in Wisconsin

How much does CNC machinist training cost in Wisconsin?

Is there free CNC machinist training in Wisconsin?

CNC machinist training in Rice Lake, Milwaukee, Wausau and other Wisconsin cities

All 31 CNC machinist programs in Wisconsin approved for WIOA funding

CNC Operator

CNC Production Technician

CNC Programmer

Machine Tool Technician

Machine Tool Operations

Machine Tool Operation

Intro to Precision Machining

Machinist Apprentice

Precision Machining Technology

Precision Machining & Programming

CNC Automation Technician

Machine Tool Operations

Computer Numeric Control Technician

Machinist

Precision Machining Technician

Machine Tool Operation

Machine Tool Basics

Machine Tool Technics

Basic Machining

CNC Setup Technician

CNC Machine Operator/Programmer

CNC Operator

Pretech for CNC Machining

Machine Tool Basics - Operator

Basic Machining

Multi-Axis CNC Milling

Entry Level Machining

Machine Tool Operation

Machine Tool Operation - CNC

Machine Tooling Technics

Machine Tool Technician

How to pay for CNC machinist training in Wisconsin

WIOA funding can pay for CNC machinist training in Wisconsin

Ask at an American Job Center

Paid machinist apprenticeships

Financial aid and grants for CNC machinist training

GI Bill for CNC machinist training

Quick facts: CNC machinist training in Wisconsin

Machinist apprenticeships in Wisconsin

Where the Wisconsin machinist program numbers come from

Which Wisconsin machinist programs are on this list?

How Wisconsin machinist program prices are reported

What the graduate results of these programs measure

Why do some machinist programs say "Not reported"?

Why the kind of school is left off each program

Other training in Wisconsin

Sources for the facts about CNC machinist training in Wisconsin