Retraining ReportJob training public funding can pay for

Find training

CNC machinist training in Houston, Texas

32 CNC machinist programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

8 schools offer these machinist programs with classes in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands area, and every one is approved 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 Houston, 12 of the 32 programs take students without a high school diploma, 18 ask for a diploma or equivalent and 2 ask for earlier courses first.

By kind, the 32 programs here are machinist certificate or diploma (15 programs), CNC or machine operator (9 programs), machinist (associate degree, 5 programs), short course or single class (2 programs), and 1 more of one other kind.

See the 32 programs

All 82 CNC machinist programs in Texas, including online programs

How much does CNC machinist training cost in Houston?

Certificates and short courses (27 programs)
$1,790 to $4,758most of them
Two-year degrees (5 programs)
$6,317most of them

What you pay yourself for the whole program, as the schools report it. "Most" is the middle half of the programs with a price.

In the typical program

Finished the program
56%
Working 6 months later
75%
Earned a year, estimated
about $45,700
Length
Not enough data
Only 5 of 32 programs report it

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Houston may also offer CNC machinist training. How these figures are made

Is there free CNC machinist training in Houston?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: paid apprenticeships, financial aid and the GI Bill

All 32 CNC machinist programs in Houston approved for WIOA funding

Filters
What you need to enroll
Kind of program
School
How it's taught
How to show the list

32 programs

How to pay for CNC machinist training in Houston

WIOA funding can pay for CNC machinist training in Houston

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 Houston

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.

What is an apprenticeship, and can WIOA pay for one?

Other training in Houston

How CNC machinist training compares with the rest of skilled trades across Texas: Trade school programs in Texas

Where the Houston machinist program numbers come from

Which Houston machinist programs are on this list?

These are the machinist programs with classes in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands area that are 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. Online programs are left out here; they are on the Texas page. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what the area offers.

How the prices and results of Houston 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.

Sources for the facts about CNC machinist training in Houston

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Machinists and Tool and Die Makers
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. 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)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Labor, Apprenticeship.gov: Discover Apprenticeship: Earn While You Learn Today (fact sheet)
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. 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