CNC Programming & Operator Training
Understand the machine, not just the software that feeds it.
CAM is a convenience. The machine runs G-code, and the person who can read it, edit it at the control and reason about what it will do is the person a shop cannot afford to lose. This track builds that person.
We start with manual programming, deliberately. Writing G-code by hand for a simple part teaches you the machine's actual logic — motion modes, plane selection, cutter compensation, work offsets and canned cycles — in a way that clicking through a CAM tree never will. Once you understand the code, CAM output stops being magic and starts being something you can audit.
From there the course moves onto the machine itself: setting work offsets, measuring and entering tool offsets, tool assembly and stick-out, workholding setup and alignment, first-off procedure, in-process measurement, and the routine of tool wear management that quietly decides whether a batch stays in tolerance.
Safety runs through all of it, and not as a slide at the start. Guarding, safe restart after an alarm, what to do when a tool breaks mid-cycle, correct feed-hold and override use, and above all the habit of thinking through a motion before you press cycle start in single block. Anyone who has stood next to a crash understands why we spend real time here.
Course at a glance
| Duration | 4–8 weeks |
|---|---|
| Mode | Classroom · On-site |
| Who it is for | ITI and diploma holders, machine operators, setters, fresh entrants to manufacturing |
| Prerequisites | None. This track starts from first principles. |
| Certificate | Issued on completion |
| Fees | Quoted per enquiry — varies by mode and batch |
Module by module
Sequenced so each module depends on the one before it. We adjust depth to the batch, but not the order.
| # | Module | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | CNC fundamentals | Machine types, axes and conventions, controls, coordinate systems, and how a machine actually knows where it is. |
| 02 | Cutting tools & tooling | Tool types and geometry, materials and coatings, holders, assembly, stick-out and what tool wear looks and sounds like. |
| 03 | Manual programming: milling | G and M codes, motion modes, plane selection, cutter compensation, canned drilling cycles, subprograms. |
| 04 | Manual programming: turning | Turning and facing cycles, threading, grooving, tool nose radius compensation, and constant surface speed. |
| 05 | Work & tool offsets | G54–G59, setting and verifying work offsets, tool length and radius offsets, and wear offset discipline. |
| 06 | Machine setup | Workholding setup and alignment, edge finding, probing basics, first-off procedure and what to check before you commit. |
| 07 | Safe operation | Guarding, safe restart after alarms, feed hold and override use, single-block dry runs and mid-cycle recovery. |
| 08 | Reading CAM output | Auditing posted programmes, spotting post errors, and making safe edits at the control. |
| 09 | In-process quality | Measurement, tool wear compensation, trend awareness and knowing when to stop and call someone. |
| 10 | Assessed setup & run | Set up, prove out and run a part from a supplied programme, with your own offsets and your own first-off. |
What you will be able to do
Stated as capabilities, not topics covered. If you finish and cannot do these, the course has not worked.
- Read a CNC programme line by line and predict what the machine will do before it does it.
- Write manual G-code for straightforward milling and turning parts including canned cycles.
- Set work offsets and tool offsets correctly and verify them before committing to a cut.
- Set up workholding, align a part, and carry out a disciplined first-off procedure.
- Operate safely — including the parts nobody enjoys, like recovering from a mid-cycle alarm.
- Audit CAM-posted code and make safe, sensible edits at the control.
- Manage tool wear and in-process measurement so a batch stays in tolerance to the last part.
Certification & placement support
A completion certificate recording your modules and your assessed project — plus the part of it that actually matters: interview preparation, CV guidance aimed at manufacturing employers, a portfolio of work you can open and explain, and referrals into our industry network when we think you are ready.
We do not guarantee placement, and this is a Teklogic certificate rather than a software vendor's certification. What we can do is make sure you walk in able to demonstrate something real.
Register for this courseBefore you enrol
None. This track is built for people entering manufacturing, including ITI and diploma holders with no machine time at all. If you have operated a machine before you will move faster through the setup modules — tell us in your enquiry and we will pitch the batch accordingly.
Machine-side sessions are arranged through partner shop floors and the exact hours depend on the batch and the machines available in that window. Programming, setup planning, offset calculation and simulation are always hands-on. We tell you precisely what machine access your batch includes before you pay, because that is the question that matters most and the one most easily fudged.
It gives you the skills an employer is looking for and a portfolio to demonstrate them, plus interview preparation and referrals into our network where we think you are ready. We do not guarantee placement, and we would encourage you to be sceptical of anyone who does.
Send us a drawing. We’ll send back a plan.
Share a 2D print, a STEP file or a scope note. You get a written response with feasibility, approach and an indicative timeline — no obligation, and your data stays yours.