NIMS announces record number of certifications

Published
February 15, 2014 - 06:00pm

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), Fairfax, Va., announced that it awarded a record number of credentials last year to individuals seeking to enter into or advance in jobs in the metalworking industry. In 2013, NIMS issued 13,888 industry-recognized credentials, representing a 58.8 percent increase from 2012.

"These numbers show that manufacturing employers are increasingly in need of skilled talent, and individuals are seeking to validate their skills and differentiate themselves in the hiring pool through industry-recognized and standards-based credentials," said Jim Wall, executive director of NIMS.  "As manufacturing becomes more complex, technology-driven and innovative, companies, workers, and students need to keep up with evolving industry standards and job requirements."

More than 6,000 metalworking companies and major industry trade associations have invested more than $7.5 million in private funds to develop NIMS standards and credentials that prepare and advance the industry's workforce and continue to upgrade and maintain the standards as the industry changes.  

"As a contract manufacturer of customized parts, we market the skills and abilities of our employees to potential customers," said Greg Chambers, director of corporate compliance at Oberg Industries, Freeport, Pa.  "We prefer that our current workforce and the individuals we hire have NIMS credentials, because it tells us—and our customers—that they can perform to industry standards." 

NIMS has developed skills standards ranging from entry-level to master-level that cover the breadth of metalworking operations, including metalforming and machining. NIMS certifies individuals' skills against these national standards via credentials that companies can use to recruit, hire, place and promote individual workers. Training programs, such as those at community and technical colleges, incorporate the credentials as performance or completion measures of academic coursework in metalforming or machining programs.

"As an employer, it is important to know the capabilities of a candidate-especially when you are relying on them to add to the value of your business and your customers' businesses," said Jamie Price, president of Sandvik Coromant USA, Fair Lawn, N.J.  "NIMS certifications are the easiest way for a candidate to show his or her area of expertise.  That credential on your resume shows that you can be trusted with a business' production and processes."

"Building and accessing a high-caliber workforce is a top priority, which is why we work to provide students with a relevant, high-tech and hands-on educational experience, so that they can become work-ready CNC machinists, programmers, and engineers," said Bob Skodzinsky, Haas Technical Education Center Network program director, Haas Automation, Oxnard, Calif. "Using NIMS' standards and credentials in our programs guarantees that the students are receiving relevant and quality training, and ensures that they will be competitive the second they apply for a job in the industry."

Related Glossary Terms

  • computer numerical control ( CNC)

    computer numerical control ( CNC)

    Microprocessor-based controller dedicated to a machine tool that permits the creation or modification of parts. Programmed numerical control activates the machine’s servos and spindle drives and controls the various machining operations. See DNC, direct numerical control; NC, numerical control.

  • metalforming

    metalforming

    Manufacturing processes in which products are given new shapes either by casting or by some form of mechanical deformation, such as forging, stamping, bending and spinning. Some processes, such as stamping, may use dies or tools with cutting edges to cut as well as form parts.

  • metalworking

    metalworking

    Any manufacturing process in which metal is processed or machined such that the workpiece is given a new shape. Broadly defined, the term includes processes such as design and layout, heat-treating, material handling and inspection.

INDUSTRY NEWS

03/28/2024
Mazak has joined major cybersecurity research universities and enterprises throughout the country as a collaborative partner with the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute.

03/26/2024
A pilot project for AI-based quality inspection has been successfully launched in the production unit in Šumperk, Czechia. The company said that the project has opened the door to achieving even…

03/22/2024
Hypertherm Associates to award Powermax systems to 12 North American schools as part of Spark Something Great grant program.