How To Become A Tool Setter Apprentice: What It Is and Career Path

What is a tool setter apprentice and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a tool setter apprentice. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.54 an hour? That's $42,732 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 3,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTool Setter ApprenticeUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,732

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.4

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 2.71%

Black or African American 2.43%

Hispanic or Latino 6.50%

Unknown 2.82%

White 84.75%

Gender

female 4.84%

male 95.16%

Age - 57

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 57

Stress level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a tool setter apprentice

Explore tool setter apprentice education requirements

Most common tool setter apprentice degrees

High School Diploma

37.9 %

Bachelor's

27.6 %

Associate

17.2 %

Start to develop specific tool setter apprentice skills

Skills	Percentages
CNC	42.20%
Calipers	23.64%
Grinders	11.16%
Die Repair	8.68%
Injection Molds	7.69%

Complete relevant tool setter apprentice training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New tool setters apprentice learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a tool setter apprentice based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real tool setter apprentice resumes.

Research tool setter apprentice duties and responsibilities

Cut metal, write programs to be able to use a CNC.
Learned to operate lathes, mills, and grinders.
Inspect all parts using calipers, micrometers, and dial indicators.
Run the program on the CNC, run an injection mold to make a rubber cast over cables.

Prepare your tool setter apprentice resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your tool setter apprentice resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a tool setter apprentice resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable tool setter apprentice resume templates

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