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Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
5 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for FORGING-PRESS OPERATOR I (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| DIE SETTER (Forging) | 0121 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| FASTENER TECHNOLOGIST | 0808 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| FORGING-PRESS OPERATOR I | 0196 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| HEAVY FORGER | 0947 | Competency-Based: 4,500 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| MULTI-OPERATION-MACHINE OPERATOR | 0371 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn, by state
Oregon has the highest state median for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic ($69,210) and New Jersey the lowest ($35,630), across the 32 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $69,210 | $33.27 | 30 |
| Oklahoma | $61,720 | $29.68 | Not published |
| Michigan | $61,620 | $29.63 | 620 |
| Nebraska | $60,460 | $29.07 | 200 |
| Wisconsin | $60,310 | $29.00 | 80 |
| California | $59,250 | $28.49 | 750 |
| Colorado | $57,970 | $27.87 | 140 |
| Ohio | $56,870 | $27.34 | 500 |
| New York | $56,350 | $27.09 | 260 |
| Missouri | $55,210 | $26.54 | 60 |
| Virginia | $54,230 | $26.07 | 560 |
| Indiana | $53,550 | $25.75 | 450 |
| Massachusetts | $51,770 | $24.89 | 310 |
| Kansas | $51,120 | $24.58 | 130 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,280 | $24.18 | 550 |
| Maryland | $49,920 | $24.00 | 30 |
| Illinois | $49,750 | $23.92 | 230 |
| South Carolina | $49,610 | $23.85 | 80 |
| Arizona | $48,730 | $23.43 | 30 |
| Iowa | $47,010 | $22.60 | Not published |
| Alabama | $46,970 | $22.58 | 70 |
| Georgia | $46,490 | $22.35 | 380 |
| Connecticut | $45,120 | $21.69 | 110 |
| Nevada | $45,040 | $21.66 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $43,810 | $21.06 | 1,140 |
| Florida | $40,480 | $19.46 | 80 |
| Mississippi | $39,550 | $19.02 | 70 |
| Arkansas | $38,120 | $18.33 | 140 |
| Texas | $37,390 | $17.98 | 720 |
| West Virginia | $37,390 | $17.97 | Not published |
| Kentucky | $36,110 | $17.36 | Not published |
| New Jersey | $35,630 | $17.13 | Not published |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).