Recognized Skill Standards
October 20, 2009

Background

These national skill standards for the machinist occupation were developed by the National Tooling and Machining Association (NMTA) with the cooperation of seven other trade organizations and three organized labor institutions. The standards are maintained by the National Institute for Metalworking Skills, Inc. (NIMS) and approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). They were developed in 1997 and revised in 2001.

Importance to Texas

Machinists set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments from solid blocks of metal.

According to the occupational profile data presented by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), machinists earn an average hourly wage of almost $17.00. The profession is expected to grow in Texas by just over 20% between 2006 and 2016.

Recognition

The machinist skill standards were originally recognized in 1999. Their recognition was extended for another five years on November 9, 2004 at the request of two Texas industry groups. The executive director of the South Texas Manufacturers Association, and the trustee of the North Texas Chapter of the National Tooling & Machining Association requested recognition of the skill standards on behalf of Texas industry.

The skill standards’ recognition was extended again on October 20, 2009 at the request of the National Institute for Metalworking Skills, based on continual use and active national acceptance by industry and educators as an indication of their continuing accuracy and validity.