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Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 51-4072.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
5 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE OPERATOR (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| CASTER (Nonferrous Metal) | 0044 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE OPERATOR | 0246 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 2,000 hours |
| MOLD SETTER | 0348 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| MOLDER, PATTERN (Foundry) | 0351 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| PLASTIC PROCESS TECHNICIAN | 0660 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 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 molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn, by state
Hawaii has the highest state median for molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic ($77,560) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($23,080), across the 50 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $77,560 | $37.29 | 140 |
| Maryland | $63,460 | $30.51 | 230 |
| Maine | $59,230 | $28.47 | 470 |
| Minnesota | $49,590 | $23.84 | 2,230 |
| Nevada | $49,590 | $23.84 | 350 |
| Nebraska | $48,500 | $23.32 | 1,000 |
| Washington | $48,290 | $23.22 | 1,800 |
| Colorado | $48,200 | $23.18 | 2,160 |
| North Dakota | $47,780 | $22.97 | 160 |
| New Hampshire | $47,610 | $22.89 | 1,080 |
| California | $47,240 | $22.71 | 9,250 |
| Kentucky | $47,110 | $22.65 | 4,340 |
| Arizona | $46,930 | $22.56 | 1,430 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,760 | $22.48 | 7,000 |
| Utah | $46,750 | $22.47 | 2,400 |
| Connecticut | $46,240 | $22.23 | 1,100 |
| Oregon | $46,200 | $22.21 | 1,780 |
| Oklahoma | $45,680 | $21.96 | 2,030 |
| Illinois | $45,500 | $21.88 | 10,680 |
| Virginia | $45,370 | $21.81 | 1,680 |
| South Carolina | $45,270 | $21.76 | 3,240 |
| Delaware | $45,220 | $21.74 | 120 |
| Iowa | $45,220 | $21.74 | 3,670 |
| Ohio | $44,830 | $21.55 | 11,050 |
| Arkansas | $44,790 | $21.53 | 2,520 |
| Vermont | $44,530 | $21.41 | 110 |
| New York | $44,500 | $21.40 | 3,320 |
| Indiana | $44,290 | $21.29 | 8,810 |
| Wisconsin | $44,230 | $21.27 | 8,590 |
| Missouri | $44,120 | $21.21 | 3,340 |
| Montana | $43,340 | $20.84 | 110 |
| Georgia | $43,250 | $20.79 | 2,060 |
| Kansas | $43,050 | $20.70 | 1,240 |
| Idaho | $42,690 | $20.52 | 520 |
| Massachusetts | $42,570 | $20.47 | 3,810 |
| West Virginia | $42,500 | $20.43 | 420 |
| Rhode Island | $42,020 | $20.20 | 430 |
| New Mexico | $41,990 | $20.19 | 250 |
| North Carolina | $41,630 | $20.01 | 7,570 |
| Texas | $41,140 | $19.78 | 7,460 |
| South Dakota | $40,750 | $19.59 | 840 |
| New Jersey | $39,950 | $19.21 | 2,450 |
| Mississippi | $39,730 | $19.10 | 550 |
| Michigan | $39,490 | $18.99 | 13,550 |
| Alabama | $39,010 | $18.76 | 5,900 |
| Tennessee | $38,820 | $18.66 | 3,730 |
| Louisiana | $38,650 | $18.58 | 90 |
| Florida | $38,440 | $18.48 | 3,290 |
| Wyoming | $38,160 | $18.35 | 60 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,080 | $11.10 | 920 |
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).