Trade licensing overview · machinist
How machinist licensing works — Virginia
How this trade is regulated in Virginia. none-in-pilot-states The framework below describes the national pathway most machinists in Virginia follow.
Machinists are not state-licensed in the United States. Competency is demonstrated through NIMS (National Institute for Metalworking Skills) credentials, employer-administered machining and inspection tests, or completion of a DOL-registered Machinist apprenticeship.
Machinist wages in Virginia · BLS OES A01 2024
Wages are state-level annual figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (A01 2024). Specific machinist earnings in Virginia vary by metro area, employer type, union membership, and years of experience. Verify the current state and metro figures on the BLS OES site (bls.gov/oes).
What this trade actually looks like in Virginia
Virginia machining is built on Newport News Shipbuilding (HII) for aircraft carriers and submarines, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, defense and aerospace supplier work in Northern Virginia, and a moderate base of supplier shops in the Richmond metro. Naval and federal-contractor machining is a much larger share of total work than in most states.
Where they work
Newport News and the Hampton Roads area anchor Newport News Shipbuilding (the country's largest single shipyard) and Norfolk Naval Shipyard machining. Northern Virginia (Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William) holds defense-contractor and aerospace-supplier shops tied to the Pentagon and federal-contracting market. Richmond and the central corridor hold supplier and instrument shops. Roanoke and the southwest hold smaller pockets including Volvo Trucks supplier work. NASA Langley in Hampton runs precision research-instrument machining.
Pay context
BLS OES reports a Virginia median of $60,920 for machinists. Newport News Shipbuilding and Northern Virginia cleared defense-contractor positions anchor the upper end of the range. Cost of housing in Northern Virginia sits well above national averages; Hampton Roads and Richmond remain more affordable.
Training pathway
Tidewater Community College (Hampton Roads), Northern Virginia Community College, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Richmond), and Virginia Western Community College (Roanoke) all run CNC machining programs. The Apprenticeship School at Newport News Shipbuilding is one of the most established craft-apprenticeship programs in the country, with a multi-year machinist track tied directly to HII employment. The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry registers other machinist apprenticeships through specific employers.
Considerations
If you want naval-shipyard or defense-contractor machining with a clear paid-apprenticeship pathway, Newport News Shipbuilding's Apprentice School is a substantial single entry point in the country. If you want union representation as a default, Virginia is right-to-work; HII machinists are represented by the Steelworkers (USW Local 8888) but the bargaining environment differs from heavily-organized states. Verify clearance requirements early for Northern Virginia positions.
Virginia machinist snapshot
| MSA | Employed | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 2,650 | $60,920 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 950 | $74,780 |
| Richmond, VA | 710 | $61,440 |
| Lynchburg, VA | 640 | $61,710 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 370 | $55,610 |
STATE LICENSE STATUS
No pilot state (TX, CA, FL, NY, IL) issues a person-level machinist license. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies machinists under SOC 51-4041 and lists typical entry through long-term on-the-job training, apprenticeship, or community-college machine-tool programs (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/machinists-and-tool-and-die-makers.htm). Because there is no statutory license, hiring shops typically verify skill through a bench test, print-reading and GD&T questions, and (increasingly) NIMS credential records (https://www.nims-skills.org). ITAR-regulated aerospace and defense shops add employer-specific background and citizenship checks per 22 CFR 120-130; those are job requirements, not state licenses.
NIMS CREDENTIALS
NIMS (National Institute for Metalworking Skills) issues 52 stackable, ANSI-accredited credentials covering Machining Level I, II, and III; CNC Milling and CNC Turning Operator and Programmer; Tool & Die; Mold Making; Stamping; Grinding; and Industrial Technology Maintenance (https://www.nims-skills.org/credentialing). Each credential requires an online theory exam plus a performance/part-inspection component verified by a NIMS-credentialed evaluator (https://www.nims-skills.org). Machining Level I is the recognized entry credential and is used by many registered apprenticeships as a first-year benchmark. NIMS credentials are accepted as Related Technical Instruction (RTI) evidence by many DOL-registered Machinist programs (https://www.apprenticeship.gov). The International Machine Tool Manufacturers Association (IMTMA, https://www.imtma.org) and the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA, https://www.ntma.org) both reference NIMS as the industry-standard skills benchmark.
CNC PROGRAMMING
CNC (computer numerical control) programming is the core skill for production machining. G-code and M-code fundamentals (ISO 6983 / EIA RS-274) are the baseline language read by Fanuc, Siemens, Haas, and Mazak controls (https://www.iso.org/standard/34608.html). Most production programs are generated in CAM software: Mastercam (https://www.mastercam.com), Autodesk Fusion 360 (https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360), and SolidWorks CAM (https://www.solidworks.com) are the most commonly listed in BLS machinist job postings (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/machinists-and-tool-and-die-makers.htm). 5-axis simultaneous programming is typical in aerospace structural and impeller work and is covered by NIMS CNC Milling Programmer Level III (https://www.nims-skills.org/credentialing). NIMS also offers a stand-alone Job Planning, Benchwork, and Layout credential that is a prerequisite for Machining Levels II and III.
APPRENTICESHIP PATHWAY
The U.S. Department of Labor registers Machinist apprenticeships under RAPIDS occupation code 0296 with a typical term of 8,000 on-the-job-training hours plus 576 hours of Related Technical Instruction; Tool and Die Maker (RAPIDS 0295) typically requires 10,000 OJT hours (https://www.apprenticeship.gov/apprenticeship-job-finder). Community-college Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in Machine Tool Technology are a common parallel or substitute pathway and frequently articulate into NIMS credentials. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM, https://goiam.org) represents machinists in parts of aerospace, defense, and rail, though most U.S. production machinists work in non-union shops. NTMA and the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) both sponsor employer-led apprenticeships registered through DOL.
ADJACENT ROLES
Tool-and-die maker is the most demanding adjacent role, requiring roughly 10,000 OJT hours and tight-tolerance grinding, heat-treat, and fixture-building experience (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/machinists-and-tool-and-die-makers.htm). CNC programmer roles split into shop-floor edit/offset programmers and off-line CAM programmers; NIMS CNC Milling and CNC Turning Programmer credentials cover both (https://www.nims-skills.org/credentialing). Manual mill and lathe operator positions are still common in prototype, R&D, and repair shops. Quality-control and gauge inspector roles require formal GD&T training per ASME Y14.5-2018, Dimensioning and Tolerancing (https://www.asme.org/codes-standards/find-codes-standards/y14-5-dimensioning-tolerancing); ASME also publishes Y14.5.1 Mathematical Definition of Dimensioning and Tolerancing Principles. AS9100 (aerospace) and ISO 13485 (medical device) quality-system training are often required before a machinist is cleared to run regulated parts.