Precision Metal Working programs in Virginia
25 schools in Virginia teach this, at certificate or associate level. 8 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $42,682 at Danville Community College.
What this work pays in Virginia
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Virginia earn a median of $59,180 a year across 10,100 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Machinists | $61,290 | 5,660 |
| Sheet Metal Workers | $52,220 | 4,520 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | $49,590 | 1,890 |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $47,300 | 1,790 |
| Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $45,220 | 1,490 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danville Community College Danville | Undergraduate certificate | — | $42,682 (18 grads) | 51 |
| Mountain Gateway Community College Clifton Forge | Undergraduate certificate | — | $38,289 (12 grads) | 6 |
| Advanced Technology Institute Virginia Beach | Undergraduate certificate | $12,000 | $30,554 (52 grads) | 35 |
| New River Community College Dublin | Undergraduate certificate | — | $28,960 (21 grads) | 48 |
| Advanced Technology Institute Virginia Beach | Associate's degree | — | $28,236 (15 grads) | 14 |
| Tidewater Community College Norfolk | Undergraduate certificate | $7,500 | $26,896 (19 grads) | 32 |
| Tidewater Tech-Trades Norfolk | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $25,636 (219 grads) | 232 |
| Wytheville Community College Wytheville | Associate's degree | — | $25,194 (15 grads) | 6 |
| Patrick & Henry Community College Martinsville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 37 |
| Virginia Western Community College Roanoke | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 33 |
| Brightpoint Community College Chester | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 31 |
| Central Virginia Community College Lynchburg | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 109 |
| Eastern Shore Community College Melfa | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 13 |
| J Sargeant Reynolds Community College Richmond | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Mountain Empire Community College Big Stone Gap | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 32 |
| New River Community College Dublin | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Northern Virginia Community College Annandale | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 14 |
| Paul D Camp Community College Franklin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Rappahannock Community College Glenns | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Southside Virginia Community College Alberta | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 63 |
| Southwest Virginia Community College Cedar Bluff | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 65 |
| Virginia Highlands Community College Abingdon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 38 |
| Virginia Highlands Community College Abingdon | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Virginia Peninsula Community College Hampton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Wytheville Community College Wytheville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Precision Metal Working — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.