MT Magazine September/October 2022

FEATURE STORY

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

29

According to Montez King, executive director at NIMS, “Most companies, as well as teachers at educational institutions, struggle with learning and transferring GDT knowledge and skills. This is the result of not recognizing that GDT is a language. Consider how we learned our native language. We learned without effort or formal teaching. The acquisition of our first language just happens through interaction.” King continued: “Now consider the challenges of learning a second language. We think in our native language to understand how to interpret and speak in other languages. This reality is a major reason why most organizations struggle with GDT.” NIMS’ GDT training will show your team how to make GDT your first language. Smart Training Solutions and OJT at your company will not only allow you to keep pace as emerging technologies change the landscape of your shop, but they will allow you to retain the legacy knowledge of your existing workforce even as the current generation of your workers retire at an ever-increasing rate. To find out more about Smart Training Solutions from NIMS, visit nims-skills.org. Contributions to this article were made by Catherine Ross, director of education, AMT. If you have any questions about this information, or want to learn more about Smartforce Development Strategies, please contact Greg at gjones@AMTonline.org or Catherine at cross@AMTonline.org. Retaining the Knowledge of Your Legacy Employees

Cultural fit can outweigh knowledge and experience if your company is adept at on-the-job training. Hiring for fit also means that we become more open and inclusive in our hiring practices to seek out underrepresented individuals and communities. On-the-Job Training If you are not as adept at on-the-job training (OJT) – and most employers are not, despite what they might think about their training programs – NIMS can help. AMT has been an industry stakeholder in NIMS since its inception more than 27 years ago. NIMS is best known for developing industry recognized standards and credentials for CNC operators, as well as for job skills like measurement, materials, and safety. NIMS has recently completed a five-year strategic plan to develop industry-recognized standards and credentials for duty areas like additive manufacturing, quality inspector, industrial technology maintenance, and smart production specialists to support the adoption of smart digital manufacturing. For improving OJT at your company, NIMS has also developed Smart Training Solutions (STS), an innovative framework for modernizing training that enables manufacturers to train the trainer at your company to provide on-the-job training to your employees, as well as to continually update your training methods to account for changes in job duties brought about by the adoption of emerging technologies and equipment. GDT: An Example of Improving Your OJT In 2001 when I was part of the executive team that launched ToolingU, we discovered that nearly every company and every trade school needed a better way to train on the subject of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GDT). This included content. In speaking with the team at ToolingU/SME recently, I’ve learned that GDT and safety classes are still among the most popular courses used by ToolingU/SME customers.

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GDT is an international standard with symbols that describe parts in a language that is clearly understood by manufacturers. This language is mathematical in nature and requires a unique set of knowledge and skills to interpret and apply in the workplace.

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Most companies, as well as teachers at educational institutions, struggle with learning and transferring GDT knowledge and skills. This is the result of not recognizing that GDT is a language. – Montez King, Executive Director, NIMS

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