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Measuring CAD Skills Gives Greater Efficiency
CAD is at the heart of modern manufacturing and moldmaking. But just how good are people at using the CAD tools they are given? This article reviews the options for assessing the skills and training needs of CAD users.

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In today’s tough economic times when competition is as fierce as ever, it is vital that your employees are at the top of their game when it comes to using your machine tools to their fullest potential. That said, sending them somewhere for training can be costly—and it takes them off of the shop floor. Why not have them take an online course to learn advanced machining concepts?

Investing in an online course can result in a number of rewards for your shop, which include reduced re-work, improved part accuracy, increased cutter and holder life, decreased machine downtime, decreased machine maintenance cost, improved part surface finish, reduced scrap, shortened leadtimes, workers that are better problem-solvers and more confident, and increased productivity and efficiency on the shop floor.

When considering an online course, it is important to assess the skills of your staff. Having them take a needs analysis test is one way to determine their skill level. There’s been such a jump in the technology in the last 10 to 15 years that it is nearly impossible to find all of the pockets of information you need in one place. Having the ability to assess employees through a needs analysis gives you the ability to find out what training they need, as well as areas that can be improved upon.

Needs Analysis
Needs analysis can be assessed in two ways: knowledge needs and skill needs. A knowledge needs assessment can be done informally by simply asking questions of your machinists that consist of what you consider to be the requisite knowledge they should have to do their job. For instance, you could ask them how they apply the concept of effective diameter, or how the cutting speed changes for P-20 compared to High-Hard P-20. Or, you can contact a provider of machining courses for a written needs analysis to give your machinists. The test shouldn’t be long or threatening, but carefully designed to assess a wide range of knowledge areas.

Once their knowledge level is determined, then you can choose the best method to enhance their education—whether it be online training, studying a manual, working with a machine manufacturer’s technical specialist, taking a CNC class, etc.

Sample customer checksheet.

The second assessment has to do with skills. To do a proper skills assessment, you must know what skills are needed for your machinists to be successful in your shop. Sit with the shop foreman, programmer, designer and machinist and perhaps a training provider to develop a clear checklist of skills for each work area (see Skills Checklist Sidebar). Once everyone agrees on what the specific skills are the employees need to possess to be successful, have each machinist demonstrate their skills. Then, they can be trained accordingly. Make them demonstrate that they either have or don’t have what they need and train accordingly.

Charting a Course
Choosing an online course that can be accessed 24/7 so employees can take it at their own pace can be vital to retaining the knowledge long-term. They will need to build on their knowledge; otherwise it is limiting their potential. An online course should make every single machinist an expert in their trade. Every machinist should have a basic knowledge of the machine tools in the industry, the cutters, holders, CAM software, etc. so they can build their skills on that knowledge.

The online courses should be available on a secure learning management system (one that manages the administration, documentation, training content, etc. of the course) that can be accessed 24/7 online with a high-speed internet connection. Users also should receive a grade of 100 percent on a section before they would advance to the next section. This is key. You don’t get a mold 70 or 80 percent correct. If you did, you’d never see that customer again. You have to score 100 percent on all sections.

Taking an online course over a one-day seminar allows your employees to slowly absorb—and retain—the information versus cramming knowledge into their brains at too fast a pace. With the coming shortage of qualified workers, companies need to start viewing training as a controlled process, start recognizing the difference between working knowledge and skills and consciously put systems in place that enhance both of them. The business that starts planning their strategic workforce development today will be poised for success in the future.