How to make CAD training actually useful for you personally

By Mike Arroyo
Clearwater, Florida, USA — Has anyone noticed that most technical training is still delivered the way it was in the 1980s?

Axiom’s instructor-led training includes customized training materials that incorporate customer drawings and procedures. This customized training, offered at generic training costs, helps customers save time and increase production.

Just like they did over 25 years ago, companies send designers to an off-site facility to receive generic training manuals, with less-than-impactful exercises, for a four-day marathon where success is proclaimed if all the commands and pages are covered during the scheduled time — regardless of the amount of knowledge actually retained. The main problem is that generic training doesn’t target the real issues that only customer-specific training can address. This is why Axiom, the largest provider of browser-based training for Bentley software, is changing the way instructor-led training is performed.

Shawn Butler of Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor experienced the Axiom difference, stating this about the on-site training experience: “The training went great. Your team was excellent; your team’s ability to mobilize quickly was fantastic and the instructors’ ability to be flexible was superb. I truly have to say that Axiom’s response time, ability to understand my needs, ask the right questions and provide on-the-spot analysis is impressive. I can say that it was the quality and immediate response that confirmed to me that Axiom was the company to team up with. The time on the phone with your office and your team set the atmosphere for the success of this engagement.”

Steps to success
First, we interview the customer to discover what is needed and wanted. Questions such as “How much CAD experience do the students have?”, “What CAD skills could best impact the company’s speed of production?” and others help uncover unique issues and specific objectives that the company wants to solve with training.

Second, we customize the training syllabus to best fit the needs of the customer to ensure that time training users is the most productive possible. Adjusting the topics covered ensures that any specific issues and objectives are targeted and that the most needed CAD skills are gained during the training.

Third, we insert company drawings, workflow and customization into the training. Employees are exposed to their company CAD standards, such as naming conventions and annotation styles, as well as custom scripts and menus during the training sessions. Unlike generic training, students learn how CAD is done at their company.

Finally, we deliver customized training materials. The manuals are organized based on the revised syllabus and incorporate customer drawings and procedures. Additionally, ample design files and step-by-step labs are delivered.

Axiom, always looking for ways to help our customers save time and increase production, delivers this customized training solution at generic training prices. Take the time and contact one of our MicroStation Consultants and see how we can help.