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Skilled Trades

First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of production and operating workers, such as inspectors, precision workers, machine setters and operators, assemblers, fabricators, and plant and system operators. Excludes team or work leaders.

Median salary (BLS)

$74,450

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$47k – $109k

Job outlook

+1% (about average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $70,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: No degree (trade/license)

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

    Entry / Junior

    $47,130

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

    Established

    $74,450

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

    Senior

    $91,600

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Enforce safety and sanitation regulations.
  • •Keep records of employees' attendance and hours worked.
  • •Inspect materials, products, or equipment to detect defects or malfunctions.
  • •Read and analyze charts, work orders, production schedules, and other records and reports to determine production requirements and to evaluate current production estimates and outputs.
  • •Plan and establish work schedules, assignments, and production sequences to meet production goals.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.