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Employer Quotes
The quotes below are from employers in this industry: Engineering
They are talking about this topic: Occupation-Specific Skills
The quotes below are about this issue:
Some employers say that if students are exposed to CAD and 3D modeling software, such as Solidworks or ProE, then the employer can provide additional training in specific programs that their organization uses. Other employers find that students do not have necessary training in AutoCad and computer science.
| "As far as technical skills, I think again the 3D modeling. The 3D stuff is becoming very prevalent in our industry, and they may not have the specific software, but the candidates we're seeing coming in now have been exposed to some type of software. They may not know SolidWorks CAD software, but they know Pro/E. It's pretty transferable." | Metro |
| "We were surprised to see that the college here didn't offer any computer science classes. We had a couple of people who wanted to take some computer science classes. We talked to [person] and he said he has independent study for three people right now. Otherwise, they're not teaching that." | Northeast |
| "I think another piece that's missing is AutoCAD. There used to be an AutoCAD program here. It's gone now." | Northeast |
| "What's happening at four-year institutions, as a whole, is they're abandoning 2D software in favor of 3D software. Part of it is that students are savvy consumers. They look at what these institutions are doing, and they hear what's being said at the universities. As a mechanical or other engineer, they get the message that 2D doesn't matter. So, they don't want to take those courses. And they don't get the industry message that AutoCAD is important." | Northeast |
| "We use 3D SolidWorks for mechanical designing. Almost all the schools, they're doing like Pro/E, which is something that we've been able to adjust to. Typically, if they know that software they can pick up SolidWorks, but there is a learning curve there." | Northwest |
| "We use a CAD program that very few companies use. It is a Google Sketch Up. We're okay that they don't have that, as long as they've been exposed to different CAD and the different software. The schools are teaching them how to do it, and we'll customize their learning to our system. When they come, they just have to learn the company's system. Every company is different. Learn their culture. I think that is the initial learning curve—just using their knowledge that they have with previous experience or with their education and applying it to the particular company." | Northwest |
| "We know that they're not going to know the software that we use, and as long as they've been exposed to CAD, and they've had some good classes, we know they can pick ours up, so I don't see that as an issue." | Northwest |
| "Let's stay on the forefront of technology. The software is out there—the design software and all that stuff is out there. That was one reason why MnSCU stood out. Interns were coming out of their second year with AutoCAD and surveying, for example, when the [non-MnSCU college] students hadn't even had it in their third year. And, even now there's so much new software out that it's the young staff that are really the ones that are learning how to use it. They're the ones doing the work when we do hire them, and so they'll have another step above other candidates." | Southwest |