Many Benefits and Overlooked Tools
AutoForm offers two levels of certification training for its software: “Certified User” and “Certified Expert.” For the first you need to earn at least four certificates; maintaining the Certified User status over three consecutive software releases entitles the user to the Certified Expert certification. Upon completion of the course, the user must take an exam containing theoretical and/or practical assessments for use of the software. In this blog post, Markus Kulik, AutoForm Technical Manager Corporate Training & Support, provides insight into why certification should be your next logical step.
There are two sides of the coin to AutoForm’s training approach. There is the objective of AutoForm, setting out what we wish to achieve through the training; and there are the targets of OEMs and toolmakers, who desire the highest level of competence for their team of automotive part engineers. It goes without saying that a little investment in training now will save you lots of time and money later.
For our part, we want to ensure that our community of users learns about all of AutoForm’s functionalities. We’d also like to increase awareness about certain less-used features. In fact, some users don’t even know about the existence of some useful features within our software. This lack of awareness can have negative consequences, even costing toolmakers hundreds of thousands in tryout correction loops. Becoming familiar with the tools you have at your fingertips is the key to maximizing functionality. We can assure OEMs that these tools not only work, but can also be easily implemented within your organizations. We can put the right tools into your hands for every individual task.
A large OEM will have different interest in certified training. They can take advantage of having their own in-house experts trained directly by AutoForm. Some OEMs prefer to send several users for training at once, and we do all the training ourselves. They want first-hand knowledge and the latest skills. When they have their “go to” experts in-house, the information gets shared organically and everyone wins.
Individuals benefit from achieving milestones in their careers, and AutoForm certification certainly looks highly attractive in the recruitment world.
Should an absolute beginner feel shy about undertaking one of our certified training programs? In my experience, attendees come with a range of proficiency. Some have only seen the software being used by colleagues. Some are indeed absolutely new. Perhaps their senior managers saw a demonstration of the software and decided, “We need this.” Their company paid for the AutoForm license and their employees are sent to us for training. So it is not an unusual occurrence to see absolute beginners. After our training, they all know how to use the software in a practical manner.
It comes down to how much knowledge participants can take away from the training. According to our customer feedback, graduates are able to effectively use the software. This is especially the case after attending Process Engineering 1 & 2 Base Training courses. Attendees know their daily work tasks. They know what their challenges are. So they ask the right questions to gain the skills they can apply practically.
However, there are so many functions within AutoForm. In reality, it is impossible for users to apply every last thing they have learnt through our programs on the spot. What happens in practice is that certified users who have been exposed to many of the functions know that there is a solution to each problem as it arises. They will say “Ah! I remember that there is a function to solve this problem in AutoForm.” They’ll either look inside the user manual or contact support to put that tool into practice. And with practice, that tool becomes ingrained in their skillset. The key here is that when you know what options you have, you can then utilize the right tools at the right time for the right job. This gives you a massive advantage over typical users who are only trained on the bare minimum of job-required tasks.
Customer testimonial:
“I have completed many certified trainings with AutoForm. Every time I attend the course I am given useful tools, placed in my fingertips, that I can immediately use in practice the very next week. These courses are one of the few that explain the basics while smoothly proceeding to up-to-date advanced methodologies in forming simulation. During training I can reflect on my daily tasks, and of particular interest to me, I recently learned how to build up hot forming simulations. Also there are some general, non-software dependent trainings, like “material behavior in sheet metal forming,” for example, that are very useful to get deeper into. The forming concepts are presented in a practical manner. I always arrive with a list of questions and by the time the event is over I leave with my questions answered. Additionally, I can call support for any questions after the training. I’d like to thank AutoForm, not only as a participant but also as an individual. We have stayed in close contact for years now. With the industry undergoing so many changes, it is important for me to update my skills to stay relevant.”
Tim Scharfenberg, Process Development and Simulation, GEDIA Gebrüder Dingerkus GmbH, AutoForm Certified Expert
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