CATI SW Training

[jmongi]

Anyone here takent the CATI (Fisher/Unitech) Solidworks training? I've never taken any training before and I'm thinking of doing the SW tuneup. Any thoughts on this or other training?

[AlexB]

I've taken several of their classes regarding Advanced PDM and will be taking Simulation later this year. Each is taught by a different instructor so your mileage may vary, but I've had good experiences so far and the information has been well presented and helpful.

If it applies to you, see if your employer will fund your training as it can be considered continuing education and job specific training.

[jmongi]

We are looking at the Ohio Tech Cred which will cover the training.

I'm also trying to decide which is the best training to start with. I'm hoping to take a series of training courses using the Ohio Tech Credit Program culminating in the CWSP Prep Class.

[AlexB]

We are looking at the Ohio Tech Cred which will cover the training.

That's exactly what we're doing as well. We have all our engineers taking 3-4 classes a piece this year. Everyone's skill level and interest in specific subjects are at a different place so it's difficult to recommend a place to start. I'm sure you glean something from any classes that you're able to take.

[jmongi]

You don't have to answer if you don't want to...in your experience, how much impact does the pre training wage vs post training wage as well as the employer contribution have on approvals?

[bnemec]

You don't have to answer if you don't want to...in your experience, how much impact does the pre training wage vs post training wage as well as the employer contribution have on approvals?

It is just my opinion, and I may be completely wrong but it seems to me that trainings are very general. They tend to be a demonstration of many of the things the software can do and reinforced with interactive practice. They teach you about the various tools that you can keep in your toolbox, they don't usually cannot teach you how to use those tools in all the various contexts. I liken it more to the labs, such as thermo or fluids labs in college, they show concepts with hands on practice but don't define all the practical uses. I should clarify, I'm not speaking to any specific VAR or third-party training.

It's my experience that compensation is more tied to how well you can apply the tools you have learned to the specific workflows and use case(s) of your workplace than to how many classes you've taken. Don't get me wrong, training is good and necessary, but it takes experience to effectively apply the tools to be more productive and efficient, and that is what makes an employee profitable which may lead to compensation increase.

There is also an indirect correlation sometimes. The willingness and initiative of an employee to better him/herself by ongoing training usually indicates that they are interested in growing as an employee rather than just putting in time and continuing with the status quo. Depending on the employer's perspectives and MO, the employee that continues to improve is more desirable, which may also have an effect on compensation.

Just my thoughts on that.

[jcapriotti]

I do in house training for new and existing users so I can steer them on the only correct path to modeling in SolidWorks as determined by my experience.

I do try to tailor the basic training from the SolidWorks training manual to how we design and do part. I may skip certain sections and expand on others.

Reseller training for the most part will follow the script in the book although some individual trainers may go beyond some. But the time allocated is short and designed to follow the book so there is little time to deviate. Last time I conducted the "Essentials" training I spent 8 days on it instead of the normal 4 days. We also spaced it out 2 days a week over 4 weeks, I was hoping it would be easier to digest.

[Tom G]

If it's SolidWorks training from a VAR, it will come with the same book from SolidWorks as any other VAR. Maybe your VAR has its own separate classes, in which case ignore me. I don't have your VAR, but the standardized classes are indeed useful. What you need to understand in these classes with canned exercises is that they lack the inherent problems that you will create in your own designs. I call it canned because these files you work on in the class are relatively foolproof if you follow the instructions in the chapter. I warn that once you begin throwing your own broad design complexity into the mix, things may unexpectedly not work as well as they did in the canned exercise.

The failure of showing you everything that CAN be done is that it never teaches the priority for your application (job) of what Must be done, Should be done, May be done, Shouldn't be done, and Must Not be done. That is either consulted for, or learned the hard way by trying what you want to do and finding what slows you down or doesn't work, compared to what speeds you up or is reliably stable.

I greatly agree with @bnemec 's 1st paragraph for the Fundamentals or Advanced Assemblies classes. When it runs off the beaten path are the extended classes, very much again with generalization not applied proficiency: Sheet Metal, Weldments, Plastics / Molding, Surfacing, and Routing among them that I recall. I think that these can be stumbled into via tutorials, but a structured class introduces you to whole new facets of what you can do to enhance your designs. For example, we do not make purchased sheet metal parts. However, there are plenty of times that there are partial drawings (and no models) of things I am buying, so that knowing how to make a sheet metal component became useful to me when including others' poorly documented components in my designs.

The book from the class has lasting value as a reference, as not all of the book will be covered in class. The rest of it can help find answers which you grow into asking. Do not lend it out to coworkers.

About a pay raise after completing either training or certification, that is very funny. Schools cannot teach productivity, and certification does not show niche industry proficiency. It is a thing to put on a wall to impress those that don't understand what it means. Again I agree with @bnemec above, where he said it clearer.

[jmongi]

Thanks for the info!
I realize I should have been more specific in my pay question. That was specifically directed at @AlexB since he is using the Ohio Tech Credit program. As part of the application for this program the company is required to specify if there will be any wage increases after the training and also if they will be kicking in a percentage of training.

My question to @AlexB was if (in his experience) a $0 wage increase and a 0% contribution would have any impact on the awarding of the credits. I don't think it would much (given our area of Ohio) but he provided a possibility of another viewpoint.

As far as the training goes. Training is almost always cookie-cutter and generic. But, since I have no formal training I definitely am looking forward to going over some of the less basic features of Solidworks that could be useful.

[AlexB]

Thanks for the info!
I realize I should have been more specific in my pay question. That was specifically directed at @AlexB since he is using the Ohio Tech Credit program. As part of the application for this program the company is required to specify if there will be any wage increases after the training and also if they will be kicking in a percentage of training.

My question to @AlexB was if (in his experience) a $0 wage increase and a 0% contribution would have any impact on the awarding of the credits. I don't think it would much (given our area of Ohio) but he provided a possibility of another viewpoint.

As far as the training goes. Training is almost always cookie-cutter and generic. But, since I have no formal training I definitely am looking forward to going over some of the less basic features of Solidworks that could be useful.

I'm not part of the management team that submitted the application, but my understanding is that we contribute $0. There also haven't been any wage increases due to these classes. Receiving the certificates from the classes has not been an issue for anyone in our engineering group.

As others have said, the classes follow a script/book that is put together either by CATI or Solidworks. They do show you how to use the available features, but they don't show you how to apply and adapt them to different scenarios so that's up to you to ask during the class or figure out later.

[bnemec]

Thanks for the info!
I realize I should have been more specific in my pay question. That was specifically directed at @AlexB since he is using the Ohio Tech Credit program. As part of the application for this program the company is required to specify if there will be any wage increases after the training and also if they will be kicking in a percentage of training.

My question to @AlexB was if (in his experience) a $0 wage increase and a 0% contribution would have any impact on the awarding of the credits. I don't think it would much (given our area of Ohio) but he provided a possibility of another viewpoint.

As far as the training goes. Training is almost always cookie-cutter and generic. But, since I have no formal training I definitely am looking forward to going over some of the less basic features of Solidworks that could be useful.

@jmongi, My bad. After a second read I see how your question was more directed to Alex.

[Tom G]

I apologize for this divergence from the thread intent. Thinking more about the pay question, it can potentially work the other way.

Employers can add a clause in their contract so that, if the employee receives paid training and then leaves the company before 12 months (?) have passed, then the employee has to reimburse the company for the cost of training.

I know this. I do not advise my manager about this.

[jmongi]

@benemec - No worries. I appreciate the responses.

[TTevolve]

I took the CATI PDM class at the beginning of the year and just took the weldments class with them a few weeks ago (using the Ohio tech credit for them). Like others have said they send you the book and you go thru it with the instructor doing the book examples, there are also other examples in each chapter to do on your own time afterwards. I highly recommend doing the extra exercises each day after class so yo can ask questions if you didn't understand anything.

I didn't get much from the PDM class as I already had used PDM before and the instructor was mono-tone and the material was really boring. The weldments class on the other hand was very good, the instructor seemed knowable and made it lively, plus it was a more exciting area to cover.

The thing I don't like is most of the classes are online, it's hard to not be disturbed in your work area at work, and it's harder to ask questions or get help when your trying to explain things remotely. I much rater have an in person class if I had a choice.

[bnemec]

The thing I don't like is most of the classes are online, it's hard to not be disturbed in your work area at work, and it's harder to ask questions or get help when your trying to explain things remotely. I much rater have an in person class if I had a choice.

When trainings all started going to online, our director of engineering decreed that people taking a training would NOT do the online training at their desk. They would go to conference room or something. Otherwise, it's just lost time and money if they're half in training and half doing normal tasks, it just doesn't work.

[TTevolve]

Unfortunately I don't have a laptop and moving everything for a couple hours for 2 days would be a pain in the rear. I did bring in my Razer headphones in from home to block out all outside sounds, so it worked pretty good, but going on site to me is just better, no emails or anything else to bother you. It seems like they are slowly going back to in person classes now, especially for the essentials stuff.

It is defiantly worth it either way, I had never done weldments before, but I can use them quite a bit at the job I am at now.

[bnemec]

Unfortunately I don't have a laptop and moving everything for a couple hours for 2 days would be a pain in the rear. I did bring in my Razer headphones in from home to block out all outside sounds, so it worked pretty good, but going on site to me is just better, no emails or anything else to bother you. It seems like they are slowly going back to in person classes now, especially for the essentials stuff.

It is defiantly worth it either way, I had never done weldments before, but I can use them quite a bit at the job I am at now.

Cell phone on airplane mode, desk phone on DND, put a meeting in your outlook calendar that you are out of office, and if people tend to visit you hang up a sign.

[jmongi]

This is exactly what I do.

[jcapriotti]

When trainings all started going to online, our director of engineering decreed that people taking a training would NOT do the online training at their desk. They would go to conference room or something. Otherwise, it's just lost time and money if they're half in training and half doing normal tasks, it just doesn't work.

Even in person we could have this issue. The faster users would open Outlook and start answering emails while they waited, or do it on their phone. I think you have to set the expectation upfront, put phones on silent, establish break times, resist the urge to do work, etc. Sometimes I ask questions when I notice users are finished to keep them engaged and not bored. Instead of helping a stuck user directly, present the problem to the class and ask for multiple ways to solve it.

Some users are much faster than others, I try to keep similar skilled users together in one class but it isn't always possible. Often I pair them with the users struggling more as they can help. The official training manuals have several exercises usually so the faster users can do more where the slower users just do one or two. I may have to supplement it though and I like to include 'parts' from our products.

For online training, I think I would try to mandate "video on" for all users. Not sure if its practical or possible in all cases but I think it would help people not get as distracted.

[TTevolve]

I have taken around 10 Solidworks classes, and it's like most everything, some people are good presenters and are engaging, others are not as good. It's also on the student to try to soak up as much as possible, if the person taking the class is not engaged to learn it's pretty much a waste.

We sent a guy to a CAM training once (Not solidworks CAM) and after he got back I gave him a part to profile cut since I was busy, he kept asking me questions on a very basic thing to accomplish, it was pretty obvious he didn't learn much in 2 days of training.

[Dirtyrywo]

It's great that you're considering Solidworks training, especially if it's your first time. CATI's Solidworks training could be a valuable choice to boost your skills.