Virtual CAD/CAM Training Soars Amid Pandemic

ST. LOUIS, August 20, 2020 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​​Since 2005, Swoosh Educational Services has been delivering tailored CAD/CAM learning solutions for Siemens Digital Industries Software's NX™ software. In 2012, Swoosh launched their first virtual student delivery for a live classroom. “We’ve literally been practicing for the pandemic for 8 years and running,” says Dan Wibbenmeyer, Training Coordinator at Swoosh. With enforced travel restrictions, statewide lockdowns, and city ordinances, Swoosh altered their on-site classroom training into an online environment.

“The decision to go from on-site delivery to virtual was absolutely necessary,” Wibbenmeyer notes. “Our students’ and instructors’ health and safety will always come first.” More than 60 on-site classes scheduled for the spring and summer 2020 season, both domestic and international, were switched to virtual training. 

NX CAD Instructor Reese Shearer agrees. “The wellbeing and safety of all involved should always come first.” Shearer didn’t shy away from delivering his students a memorable session. “Not being physically present was a little bit of an adjustment for me, but it kept me agile and allowed me to keep what methods resonated with my students in mind for future training classes – no matter if it’s virtual or on-site.”

His NX CAD Fundamentals students concurred. “The class went surprisingly well,” notes Anders. “I was really happy with how [our] online training [went].”

Fellow student Matt Tanis added, “The training was a great mix of explanation and do-it-yourself activities that allowed for practicing the content. Reese was great at working through the activities with people and [addressed] any issues we came up with.”

With 2020 fall and winter training right around the corner, Swoosh is ready to make an educational impact for design engineers and manufacturers looking to expand their knowledge in CAD, CAM, and PDM tools. “Change can be daunting, and it’s different than what most people are used to [doing],” states John Vincent, NX CAM instructor. "But the idea of learning isn't new - everyone has been learning [via the internet] for decades now!"

With his upcoming NX Mill Manufacturing class (September 22-25, 2020), Vincent is excited to introduce fellow NX CAM users to a brand new NX CAM course manual that sheds light on various topics and functionality available. He recalls a certain comment from a previous trainee that he plans to take into full consideration, “One of my previous students thanked me for explaining the concepts instead of reading an entire slide. So, if there’s anything I can promise to my future students, it’s that my class will definitely not be death by Powerpoint!”

Swoosh Educational Services will hold a majority of upcoming classroom training in a virtual setting for the remainder of the year. Along with public classroom training, those interested in bringing NX CAD and/or NX CAM training to their company are welcome to inquire.

Source: Swoosh Technologies