How to select right CAD/CAM/CAE Training Institute?

Many undergraduate and passed out students from Mechanical Engineering have got a dream of getting job in Engineering Services, R&D and CAD/CAM/CAE but many of them do not know how to achieve this goal. Majority of the students opt for CAD/CAM/CAE Software Training either in their colleges or by approaching nearby training institutes but fail to get jobs after they complete their Degree. This blog will assist students in selecting the best CAD/CAM/CAE or Engineering Design Training Institute for their training and placement. Students are requested to refer the following points, do a comparison of selected institutes and then take final decision of joining the institute. 

1. About the institute: Try to collect information about the institute like since when they are into operations, who are the owners, current locations / centers, authenticity of website, infrastructure, affiliations, contact information and courses offered.

2. Affiliation / Authorisation: See if the institute is affiliated to any Government body or authroised by parent companies as Authorised Educational Partner for the Software on which the institute is offering the courses.

3. Certification: Many times the institute may offer quality training but the institute is not recognized outside specific geographical region. Students face challenges while attending the interviews as the Certificate of Completion offered by these institutes are not recognized by recruiters. Authorised Certificate of Completion from parent companies always helps as these all companies are MNC’s and recongnised worldwide by all the companies / recruiters. Few Software companies also provide Certification Exams where students can test their Software Expertise and get certified user certification. Students can use such types of Certification Logos on their CV as well as on LinkedIn Profile which eventually aids in placement.

4. Infrastructure: Basic amenities recommended as your time spent in the institute is limited. Do not get fascinated by the infrastructure offered by the institute as it eventually increases the fees which you are going to pay.

5. Genuine Legitimate Licenses of Software: Please check if the institute is using genuine legitimate licenses of Software on which they are providing the training. If the Institute is authroised by the parent company then they will offer you training on latest & legal version of the Software. Many institutes use pirated software which are having bugs and are older versions of Software and industry always uses latest release of the Software. Learning on such software becomes obsolete as it is not industry ready to use.

6. Instructors: Ask the information about instructors like their educational qualification, work experience and whether they are Certified Instructors are not. Normally parent companies make it mandatory for the training institute to get their Trainers certified by them. Check the Instructor Certification at the time of counseling.   

7. Selection of Software: Though all basic work can be done in any software, each software has got its own key domains in which it’s widely used by the industries. Students are not expected to learn each and every Software available in the market. You have to understand your key technical strengths then compare it with Software key domains and then select the Software. Remember, your first job may not be on the Software which you have already learnt. Many students forget that they are Mechanical Engineers first and try to depend on Software too much. Be proud to be a Mechanical Engineer first.

8. Engineering Fundamentals Training: Many institutes provide training on Engineering Fundamentals, GD&T, and Drawing Reading and so on. Please note that you are joining the Training Institute for a maximum of 6 months but you have spent 4 years of precious time into your core Engineering. Institute should train you on these topics related to job opportunities & interviews only. It is expected that students should prepare themselves on basics of Mechanical Engineering as you have already spent 4 years into it. Please remember you are joining CAD/CAM/CAE Training Institute and not Mechanical Engineering Training Institute.

9. Industry Domain Oriented Training: As discussed earlier, basic design & analysis work can be done in any Software but industry demands Tool knowledge along with domain skills sets. Check if the institute provides you curriculum for the same and do they have industrial working professionals to teach those topics. Without domain knowledge, it is very difficult to survive into the job market.

10. Course Curriculum / Syllabus: Ask the institute to show the curriculum / syllabus copy of each course for which you are going to enroll. Course curriculum is a must as you are completely aware about which all topics you are going to learn in detail after the course completion. As we always compare the fees structure of various institutes, it is best practice to compare their syllabus contents as well. Many institutes don’t even offer the syllabus copies. Ideally as in the case of Engineering / University Education, syllabus copies should be transparently available on the institute’s website.

11. Teaching Learning Process: Please ask the counselors if the institute has got its own Teaching learning process or not. It helps maintaining transparency between students, faculty, institute management and parents. The basic advantage of teaching learning process is everything is recorded.

12. Placement Assistance: My firm belief is no one can offer you 100% Placement Guarantee no matter how much the fees is. Try to get the list of students placed by the institute along with their company & college information. You can even speak to some of them for checking the authenticity. Besides students placed, go thru the list of companies where the institute is offering placement / job opportunities. This information is very vital as after joining the institute you should get few opportunities to prove your talent. Ensure the courses for which placement assistance is offered.

13. Fees: This is the last but the most important factor for students in deciding the institute. Please demand standard course & fees structure (proper document) to the institute and check if they have it. Many institutes gives you information about the fees orally and it varies student wise and center wise. Do not get trap in discounts offered orally and get confirmation of fees and deliverables against admission on paper and compare it with other institutes. You are also required to check if the institute provides you proper receipt and tax invoice as transparency in fees given by you to the institute is important issue for records purpose. Genuine institutes generally use ERP system for their fees collection and maintaining student’s admission data. 

I hope this blog will definitely help all the aspiring students who wish to make career in CAD/CAM/CAE, Engineering Design, and R&D in selecting right institute for their learning. 

Wish you all the very best for your future career!
 

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