Abstract:

The situation of current CAD training practices in Spanish companies is relatively unknown. Training engineers and ensuring that they are prepared is essential for organizational performance, especially in the context of increasingly dynamic and complex industrial demands. Although it is relatively common for companies to provide some initial training when new engineers join the organization, such efforts are rarely sustained over time. Furthermore, most of the training programs for CAD systems tend to focus on explaining software functionalities rather than equipping professionals with the skills needed to produce high-quality models. This context generates a gap between state-of-the-art modeling practices and the actual design methods used in daily operations. These considerations motivated the development of a survey aimed at identifying common approaches and trends in CAD training across the Spanish manufacturing sector. The data collected from a sample of 167 responses reveal several patterns. Among them, 79% of respondents report receiving CAD-specific training less than once every two years, and 63% consider the training provided by their company to be insufficient. Some disparities regarding the size of the company, the industrial sector and the age of the respondent were also observed. These results highlight a significant need to reconsider current approaches and provide real data to support improved life-long CAD training strategies in industrial companies.

Keywords:

CAD training, workforce development, life-long training.