Precision Metal Working (Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma) at Emily Griffith Technical College

Analysis

Emily Griffith Technical College delivers strong earnings for a precision metal working certificate—$44,943 puts graduates nearly $8,700 above the national median and substantially ahead of most competing programs. At 93rd percentile nationally, this program clearly prepares students well for Denver's manufacturing sector. Within Colorado, it ranks at the 60th percentile, trailing only Aims Community College among major programs but beating Front Range and Pueblo by significant margins.

The debt picture is remarkably manageable. At $8,125, students borrow less than both state and national averages, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.18. This means graduates earn their total debt back in roughly two months of work—one of the better payback periods you'll find in technical education. The modest sample size of 30-100 graduates suggests a stable program without being so small that the data becomes unreliable.

For a certificate program that can typically be completed in under a year, these numbers represent solid value. Students emerge with immediately marketable skills, minimal debt, and earnings that exceed what many associate degree programs deliver. If your child is mechanically inclined and interested in manufacturing, this is a low-risk pathway to middle-class wages without the time and expense of a traditional degree.

Where Emily Griffith Technical College Stands

Earnings vs. debt across all precision metal working certificate's programs nationally

Earnings Distribution

How Emily Griffith Technical College graduates compare to all programs nationally

Compare to Similar Programs in Colorado

Precision Metal Working certificate's programs at peer institutions in Colorado (15 total in state)

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School	In-State Tuition	Earnings (1yr)	Earnings (4yr)	Median Debt	Debt/Earnings
Emily Griffith Technical CollegeDenver	—	$44,943	—	$8,125	0.18
Aims Community CollegeGreeley	$2,090	$47,680	—	—	—
Lincoln College of Technology-DenverDenver	—	$37,249	$42,279	$9,429	0.25
Front Range Community CollegeWestminster	$4,740	$34,125	$42,114	$8,347	0.24
Pueblo Community CollegePueblo	$4,883	$25,970	$33,636	$6,625	0.26
National Median	—	$36,248	—	$9,000	0.25

Career Paths

Occupations commonly associated with precision metal working graduates

Sheet Metal Workers

Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.

$60,850/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Tool and Die Makers

Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

$51,000/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic forming bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate, or to flatten, temper, or reduce gauge of material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend drilling machines to drill, bore, ream, mill, or countersink metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

About This Data

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (October 2025 release)

Population: Graduates who received federal financial aid (Title IV grants or loans). At Emily Griffith Technical College, approximately 7% of students receive Pell grants. Students who did not receive federal aid are not included in these figures.

Earnings: Median earnings from IRS W-2 data for graduates who are employed and not enrolled in further education, measured 1 year after completion. Earnings are pre-tax and include wages, salaries, and self-employment income.

Debt: Median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation. Does not include private loans or Parent PLUS loans borrowed on behalf of students.

Sample Size: Based on 50 graduates with reported earnings and 22 graduates with debt data. Small samples may not be representative.