Program Description
ACC offers three different Millwright programs:
Apprenticeship — Millwright Basic Certificate
Basic Certificate Curriculum
The Apprenticeship — Millwright Certificate program is a 29-credit program that prepares students to work in an industrial setting with the installation and maintenance of hydraulic equipment, pneumatic equipment, power trains, belts, gears, and chains.
Apprenticeship — Millwright Advanced CertificateAdvanced Certificate Curriculum
The Apprenticeship — Millwright Advanced Certificate program gives students the opportunity to expand on their skills by taking an additional 15 credits in courses such as Residential Wiring & Blueprint Reading, Electric Motor Controls, and Programmable Controllers.
Millwright Technology, AAS DegreeAAS Degree Curriculum
The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Millwright Technician Degree provides you with your basic and advanced millwright certification as well as skills in industrial electrical maintenance, giving students cross-training as a millwright/electrical maintenance technician. The AAS degree curriculum includes 46 hours of basic technical credits and technical specialty electives, plus 15 credits in general education courses to meet the requirements of an AAS degree.
The curriculum for these programs meets current industry standards for this skilled trade, and revised core, basic, and advanced courses allow previously trained workers to take only the courses needed to upgrade their skills without committing to an entire program. The Apprentice (APP) courses for this program of study are offered primarily at night on a four-year rotating basis, allowing already employed students to still work while upgrading their skills.
Program Facilities
Students will gain hands-on experience with ACC’s recently renovated and expanded labs that feature setups similar to what you will experience on the job site. Students will learn to use standard safety equipment properly and observe safety precautions involved in the industry. Students will practice on industry-standard equipment in several of ACC’s fully-equipped industrial labs, including the electrical lab, machine tool lab, and welding lab.
Certification
There is a state journeyman examination available to millwrights. Workers with extra certifications often have better job prospects and earn higher wages than those without any certification.
Preparation
A reasonable level of mathematics ability, good color vision, and an interest in working with your hands are important if you’re considering a career in these fields. Before starting any program at ACC, a student’s academic background, assessment scores, or testing results are reviewed to determine the right courses to take. Review classes are also available to prepare students to meet the academic requirements of these programs.
Career Options
As a millwright, you perform a variety of tasks, including installing, repairing, and dismantling machinery and heavy equipment used in many industries. You need a diverse set of skills as well, including reading blueprints, working with building materials, using measuring instruments, and solving mechanical problems.
The continued adoption of automated manufacturing machinery is expected to create jobs for these workers, as they will be needed to help keep machines in good working order. The use of automated conveyors to move products and materials in factories is likely to be an area of high demand for these workers, because the conveyor belts, motors, and rollers need regular care and maintenance. ACC has both older and newer machines, giving students the chance to understand the history of how things were done, as well as the knowledge of how to operate the state-of-the-art machines.
Employment of industrial machinery mechanics, machinery maintenance workers, and millwrights is expected to grow 13%, much faster than average for all occupations, through the year 2032. Your average salary depends on the size, type, and location of your employer, as well as your skill and experience level. Median hourly earnings of millwrights were $29.41 in 2022. Depending on experience levels, apprentices usually start at a lower rate than journeyman millwrights.
* Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh (visited June 7, 2024)
Contact the Millwright Program AdvisorAndrew Paad
Instructor
paada@alpenacc.edu
989.358.7421