Sarah A. Webster Editor in Chief
Manufacturing Engineering Media Dearborn, MI
www.MfgEngMedia.com
FOCUS ON THE
WorkForce W
orkshops for Warriors is a nonprofit organization in San Diego, CA, that provides free training and certification in advanced manufacturing techniques
to US veterans. Recently, it has expanded its curriculum to include training in state-of-the-art Amada CNC laser and Flow CNC waterjet cutting.
Hernan Luis y Prado founded Workshops for Warriors in 2010. As a former United States Navy officer, he saw the need for a facility dedicated to training veterans and giving them the skills needed to secure jobs in manufacturing. According to some estimates, there are between 600,000 and two million manufacturing jobs available in the US, but only for those who have the knowledge and skills to fill them.
What began as a small effort in his garage has now grown to an impressive 30,000-square-foot facility across from the San Diego Naval Base. The statistics show Workshop for Warriors’ program is working. All of the program's graduates
Workshops for Warriors Expands Training
CNC Software Inc. (Tolland, CT), developer of Mastercam, and Haas Automation Inc. (Oxnard, CA) have donated equipment and training. HE&M Saw provides all the new saws used at the facility, while Scotchman provides all the ironworkers and coldsaws. Kurt Manufacturing has provided the vises used in the CNC machines.
There are currently 15 Mastercam and SolidWorks stations
in Workshops for Warriors' CAD/CAM lab, and 22 more are planned, as grant money is released. The program has four Haas CNC mills, a Haas CNC lathe, and a CNC plasma cutting machine, all of which have been kept busy the past few years, with students learning how to design and program in the lab. The veteran students then proceed to the machine tools to create what they have designed.
The program has a full-time college professor on staff, teaching Mastercam, along with teaching assistants, using Mastercam and Immerse-to-Learn books and online tutorials.
America is starving for qualified advanced manufacturing employees. Veterans are hungry for the portable, stackable credentials that they can earn at Workshops for Warriors.
have been hired and retained by industry leaders thirsting for new talent. But without the generosity and shared vision of the manufacturing industry—which has donated capital, equipment, supplies and services—Workshops for Warriors wouldn’t be anywhere near what it is today.
“I am very grateful to all of the industry leaders who under- stand and support our efforts,” Prados said. For example, the Gene Haas Foundation has donated $200,000, and the SME Education Foundation has matched $150,000 to date. Betenbender Mfg Inc., builders of press brakes and shears in Coggon, IA, was among the first manu- facturers to step in, donating $250,000 worth of machines.
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Workshops for Warriors currently has the latest Mastercam X7 5-axis version software with the Productivity Plus probing feature. Students can also take Mastercam lessons at home and bring the projects into the facility to run on the machines. There are currently 84 students enrolled in six classes, attending six days a week. More than 550 veterans are on the waiting list. They have a choice of obtaining nationally recog- nized credentials (NIMS, AWS, Mastercam University, Solid- Works CSWA) learning machinery repair, CAD/CAM, machin- ing, and welding fabrication as spaces open up. Workshops for Warriors has 20 complete welding stations, more than most training facilities in California. Thanks to a $250,000
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