CNC machinist training in South Dakota
5 CNC machinist programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free
2 schools offer these machinist programs, and South Dakota has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.
Machinists set up and run equipment, including computer-controlled (CNC) machines, to make precision metal parts and tools. Community colleges and technical schools offer certificates and two-year degrees that teach reading engineering drawings and programming CNC machines.1
In South Dakota, all 5 programs ask for a high school diploma or equivalent.
By kind, the 5 programs here are machinist certificate or diploma (3 programs) and machinist (associate degree, 2 programs).
See the 5 programsHow much does CNC machinist training cost in South Dakota?
$4,320 to $19,448
from the lowest-priced program to the highest, if you pay yourself
In the typical program
- Finished the program
- Not enough data
- 4 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5
- Working 6 months later
- Left out
- South Dakota's rates sit far below every other state's
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- 2 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5
- Length
- 32 to 64 weeks
Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in South Dakota may also offer CNC machinist training. How these figures are made
All 5 CNC machinist programs in South Dakota approved for WIOA funding
Filters
5 programs
Precision Machining | AAS | Campus
Lake Area Technical College
Watertown
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$18,300Price if you pay yourself$17,452Program website, Precision Machining | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical CollegeMore details about Precision Machining | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
- Finished
- 70%
- Working at 6 months
- Left out
- Earned in a quarter
- $4,586
- Length
- 68 weeks, 23 hours a week
- Cost of supplies
- $945
- Students counted
- 73
- Earned a year, estimated
- $18,300
- Price if you pay yourself
- $17,452
Precision Machining - UpSkill In-Person
Lake Area Technical College
Watertown
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$27,100Price if you pay yourself$4,32017 students trained with WIOA funding
School website, Precision Machining - UpSkill In-Person at Lake Area Technical CollegeMore details about Precision Machining - UpSkill In-Person at Lake Area Technical College
- Finished
- 83%
- Working at 6 months
- Left out
- Earned in a quarter
- $6,771
- Length
- 32 weeks, 24 hours a week
- Cost of supplies
- $300
- Students counted
- 30
- Earned a year, estimated
- $27,100
- Price if you pay yourself
- $4,320
- students trained with WIOA funding
- 17
Precision Machining Technology | Diploma | Hybrid (42 credit hours)
Western Dakota Technical College
Rapid City
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reportedPrice if you pay yourself$12,012Program website, Precision Machining Technology | Diploma | Hybrid (42 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical CollegeMore details about Precision Machining Technology | Diploma | Hybrid (42 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
- Finished
- 63%
- Working at 6 months
- Not reported
- Earned in a quarter
- Not reported
- Length
- 32 weeks, 24 hours a week
- Cost of supplies
- $5,624
- Students counted
- 21
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- Price if you pay yourself
- $12,012
Drafting and Machining Technology | AAS | Hybrid (68 credit hours)
Western Dakota Technical College
Rapid City
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reportedPrice if you pay yourself$19,448Program website, Drafting and Machining Technology | AAS | Hybrid (68 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical CollegeMore details about Drafting and Machining Technology | AAS | Hybrid (68 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
- Finished
- 50%
- Working at 6 months
- Not reported
- Earned in a quarter
- Not reported
- Length
- 64 weeks, 21 hours a week
- Cost of supplies
- $6,879
- Students counted
- 19
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- Price if you pay yourself
- $19,448
Precision Machining - UpSkill Hybrid
Lake Area Technical College
Watertown
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reportedPrice if you pay yourself$4,320School website, Precision Machining - UpSkill Hybrid at Lake Area Technical CollegeMore details about Precision Machining - UpSkill Hybrid at Lake Area Technical College
- Finished
- Not reported
- Working at 6 months
- Not reported
- Earned in a quarter
- Not reported
- Length
- 36 weeks, 24 hours a week
- Cost of supplies
- $300
- Students counted
- Not reported
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- Price if you pay yourself
- $4,320
No programs match these filters.
How to pay for CNC machinist training in South Dakota
WIOA funding can pay for CNC machinist training in South Dakota
Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?
Paid machinist apprenticeships
An apprenticeship is a job: you're paid to learn, with a raise as your skills grow, and most include classroom teaching. You apply to the employer or the program sponsor. Ask what you'll pay for the classroom part and what you'll earn on the job.6
Financial aid and grants for CNC machinist training
Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.78
GI Bill for CNC machinist training
Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9
The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.
Machinist apprenticeships in South Dakota
A machinist apprenticeship is usually run by an employer. It combines paid training on the job with related classes and lasts several years.1
You apply to the employer or the program sponsor, not through a school.6 The Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Finder lists openings by place and job. None of the CNC machinist programs on this page is an apprenticeship.
CNC machinist training in Watertown, Rapid City and other South Dakota cities
Choosing an area filters the program list above.
Other training in South Dakota
How CNC machinist training compares with the rest of skilled trades: Trade school programs in South Dakota
- CDL training13 programs
- CNA classes2 programs
- Medical assistant training4 programs
- Phlebotomy training4 programs
- Welding classes15 programs
- HVAC training5 programs
- Medical billing and coding training11 programs
- LPN programs7 programs
- EMT classes6 programs
- Electrician training4 programs
- Dental assistant programs4 programs
- Auto mechanic classes3 programs
- Pharmacy technician training1 program
- Plumbing school4 programs
- Carpentry classes1 program
- Heavy equipment operator training2 programs
- Diesel mechanic training5 programs
- Cybersecurity training3 programs
- IT training13 programs
- Cosmetology school2 programs
- Barber school2 programs
- Surgical tech programs3 programs
- Culinary school1 program
- Human resources training4 programs
- Medication aide training1 program
- Industrial maintenance technician training5 programs
- Early childhood education programs1 program
- Hospitality management programs2 programs
- Community health worker training2 programs
- Coding and software development courses5 programs
- Lineman school2 programs
- Sonography school3 programs
- Administrative assistant training4 programs
- Medical lab technician programs4 programs
- AutoCAD and drafting courses1 program
- Digital marketing courses2 programs
- Web and graphic design courses1 program
- Health information technology programs1 program
- Vet tech programs1 program
- Home inspector training1 program
- Healthcare administration programs1 program
- Cardiovascular technology programs1 program
- Human services programs1 program
- Manufacturing technician training2 programs
- Electronics technician training3 programs
- Business administration programs9 programs
- Criminal justice programs4 programs
- Auto body repair classes3 programs
- Solar and wind technician training1 program
- Construction training programs7 programs
- Accounting and bookkeeping classes11 programs
- RN programs5 programs
Where the South Dakota machinist program numbers come from
Which South Dakota machinist programs are on this list?
These are the machinist programs South Dakota approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what South Dakota offers.
How the prices and results of South Dakota machinist programs are measured
Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.
How reliable are the South Dakota figures?
We leave out the share working 6 months later for South Dakota: its rates sit far below every other state's.
Sources for the facts about CNC machinist training in South Dakota
Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Machinists and Tool and Die Makers
- US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
- US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
- Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
- US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
- US Department of Labor, Apprenticeship.gov: Discover Apprenticeship: Earn While You Learn Today (fact sheet)
- US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
- US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
- US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
- US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List