Home / Apprenticeships / Occupations / Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 51-9012.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
6 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for PROFESSIONAL BREWER (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Buttermaker | 0054 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| CELLAR WORKER (Wine) | 1124 | Competency-Based: 2,136 hours Hybrid: 2,136 to 2,670 hours Time-Based: 2,136 hours |
| FOURDRINIER-MACHINE OPER | 0204 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| PROFESSIONAL BREWER | 2044 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| PURIFICATION OPERATOR II | 0461 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| RECOVERY OPERATOR (Paper) | 0420 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 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 separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders earn, by state
Wyoming has the highest state median for separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders ($108,900) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($32,000), across the 51 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | $108,900 | $52.35 | 410 |
| Nevada | $62,960 | $30.27 | 270 |
| New Hampshire | $60,340 | $29.01 | 590 |
| Wisconsin | $60,100 | $28.89 | 1,520 |
| Virginia | $59,480 | $28.60 | 2,130 |
| North Dakota | $59,390 | $28.56 | 270 |
| Kentucky | $58,770 | $28.25 | 1,500 |
| Louisiana | $58,640 | $28.19 | 770 |
| New Jersey | $58,140 | $27.95 | 930 |
| Arizona | $57,820 | $27.80 | 970 |
| Maine | $57,190 | $27.50 | 430 |
| Minnesota | $57,190 | $27.49 | 1,810 |
| Washington | $56,160 | $27.00 | 1,560 |
| New York | $55,990 | $26.92 | 3,490 |
| Maryland | $55,580 | $26.72 | 580 |
| Georgia | $55,500 | $26.68 | 1,210 |
| Indiana | $53,990 | $25.96 | 1,510 |
| Vermont | $53,570 | $25.76 | 230 |
| California | $52,910 | $25.44 | 14,210 |
| Iowa | $52,220 | $25.11 | 1,090 |
| Idaho | $52,160 | $25.08 | 780 |
| Hawaii | $51,070 | $24.55 | 160 |
| South Dakota | $50,780 | $24.41 | 270 |
| Tennessee | $50,470 | $24.26 | 2,450 |
| Connecticut | $50,370 | $24.22 | 310 |
| Oregon | $50,160 | $24.12 | 1,340 |
| Florida | $49,610 | $23.85 | 1,150 |
| Colorado | $49,590 | $23.84 | 1,970 |
| Michigan | $49,480 | $23.79 | 2,230 |
| Oklahoma | $49,440 | $23.77 | 260 |
| South Carolina | $49,320 | $23.71 | 470 |
| Missouri | $49,290 | $23.70 | 1,590 |
| North Carolina | $49,140 | $23.63 | 1,310 |
| Massachusetts | $48,970 | $23.54 | 510 |
| Kansas | $48,790 | $23.46 | 450 |
| Illinois | $48,440 | $23.29 | 780 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,390 | $23.26 | 2,150 |
| Alaska | $48,000 | $23.08 | 100 |
| Montana | $47,920 | $23.04 | 340 |
| Ohio | $47,640 | $22.90 | 1,470 |
| Delaware | $47,520 | $22.85 | 110 |
| Nebraska | $47,080 | $22.64 | 1,050 |
| Alabama | $46,970 | $22.58 | 140 |
| Texas | $46,910 | $22.55 | 1,460 |
| Rhode Island | $46,710 | $22.46 | 140 |
| Utah | $46,600 | $22.40 | 480 |
| Mississippi | $43,890 | $21.10 | 100 |
| Arkansas | $41,720 | $20.06 | 500 |
| New Mexico | $41,370 | $19.89 | 370 |
| West Virginia | $35,870 | $17.25 | 110 |
| Puerto Rico | $32,000 | $15.39 | 90 |
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).