Skilled trades career profile
Machinist
Sets up and operates machine tools such as lathes, milling and grinding machines to make metal components to precise measurements, working from engineering drawings.
Student snapshot
Machinists use machine tools to make parts that match engineering drawings. They plan setups, select tools with the team, measure trial pieces, and check that repeated parts stay within specification.
What the work actually involves
A machinist may use milling or drilling processes to produce a face or hole pattern, then compare measurements with the drawing and inspection plan. The job can involve several machines and setups. A Turner's lathe example centres on round-part diameters and axial features. Machinists may work across several faces and hole patterns.
A day in the life
A machinist may review a drawing and production order, check material and the machine setup, and plan the first-piece inspection. They make or observe a trial cut under approved procedures, measure key features, and document any adjustment before the run continues.
Where this work happens
You may work in machine shops, CNC areas, tool rooms, factories, maintenance workshops, and inspection rooms. It can suit students who enjoy exact measurement, machines, and steady improvement through trial and correction.
Who this may fit
You may enjoy translating a drawing into a physical part and checking your work with measurements. It takes focus, problem-solving, and consistent respect for machine safeguards and workshop procedures.
India pathway after Class 10 and Class 12
Directorate General of Training (DGT) lists the Machinist CTS trade as a two-year course. The listed entry qualification is Class 10 with Science and Mathematics, or a vocational subject in the same sector. Check current institute affiliation, machine access, supervised practice, assessment, and the state admission notice.
Skills to build in school
- Learn machine parts, controls, and setup steps on paper first.
- Measure carefully and read scales, gauges, or values.
- Learn tool names and safe handling before practical work.
- Choose the right safety gear and explain why it matters.
Portfolio or evidence
- Build an evidence folder with drawings, setup notes, measurement tables, supervised practice examples if allowed, and a reflection on how inspection improved the work.
Reality checks
- Machining work needs controlled drawings and patient checking.
- A familiar old dimension can be wrong for a revised part.
- Ask how supervised training covers setup records, measurement and version control, as well as machine practice.
Sources & verification
Pathway links and guidance to check before paying fees or applying.
- Pathway reference: dgt.gov.in
Pathway review reference. Check the exact claim and current intake. Recorded check: 2026-10-31.
- Directorate General of Training
General guidance. Check the exact course, post and intake separately. No check date recorded for this link.
- National Council for Vocational Education and Training
General guidance. Check the exact course, post and intake separately. No check date recorded for this link.
Check current official course and entry requirements. Rules can change.
Career mission
Plan a repeatable first-part check
Choose measurements that help a team compare a part with its drawing.
This 12-minute paper mission helps students try a safe piece of Machinist work through Notice, Try, and Reflect steps.
M1 revision B (all mm)
+----------------------------+
| (O) hole 6 | width 20
+----------------------------+
length 40
Sample: length 40.1, width 20.4, hole 6.0
Compare with the allowed ranges in the source card.
Fictional input pack
- Fictional drawing M1 rev B: length 40 mm allowed 39.8–40.2. Width 20 mm allowed 19.8–20.2. Hole 6 mm allowed 5.9–6.1. Sample readings: 40.1, 20.4 and 6.0 mm. The learner cannot accept or reject real parts.
- Notice: This is a made-up situation. You can begin without knowing this career already. Read the supplied input pack for “Plan a repeatable first-part check”. Note the source labels, fixed details and anything left unknown.
- Try: Make a first-part inspection card on paper. Use a quick sketch, simple labels, or a small table to show the drawing reference, three dimensions to check, a place to record fictional measurements, and a question for a trained machinist if a value differs. Keep the result small enough to finish in 12 minutes.
- Reflect: Check your work: the card uses made-up measurements and does not ask students to machine, accept, or reject a real component. Improve one small part, then write one thing you would like to ask someone in this career.
After your attempt: check an example
40.1 and 6.0 fall within their classroom ranges. Width 20.4 exceeds 20.2, so request trained review. This comparison does not establish suitability of a real part or tool setting.
Career challenge · 11 minutes
The inspection sheet checks the old hole position
Drawing M2 rev B moves hole H1 from x=10 mm to x=12 mm. Investigate the case and produce a short work sample.
Try a fictional work situation, make decisions, and see what changes. This is for exploration, not a test or career-fit score.
Skills to compare
- Machine operation and setting
- Measurement and reading instruments
- Hand and power tool use
- Workplace safety and protective equipment