TCC offering new certificate program for inside machinists

Tidewater Community College will offer a Career Studies Certificate in Inside Machinist on its Chesapeake Campus beginning 2017 Fall Semester.

Inside machinists work in the manufacturing and maritime industries operating manual machine tools. Graduates who earn the 18-credit, two-semester certificate can seek employment in settings that range from factories to shipyards to job shops.

“With the return of manufacturing to the United States and the fact that the industry is facing an aging workforce, demand is high for qualified inside machinists,” said Thomas Stout, dean of science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the Chesapeake Campus.

Upon completion of the certificate, students will be equipped to sit for one or more credentials offered by the National Institute for Metalworking Skills. All credits can be applied to TCC’s Associate of Applied Science in Maritime Technologies.

All classes will be held on TCC’s Chesapeake Campus, which includes a state-of-the-art Precision Machining Lab. Course offerings include machine blueprint reading; machine shop practices; and standards, measurements and calculations.

All course work can be completed in the evening.

This program is ideal for veterans and active-duty military transitioning into the civilian workforce.

Recent data from Economic Specialists, Inc., projects machinist jobs to increase 11 percent nationally and 10 percent in Virginia by 2021. Graduates can expect to earn $40,668.

Anyone interested in TCC’s Career Studies Certificate in Inside Machinist can contact Stout at tstout@tcc.edu or 757-822-5230.