Well, that’s exactly the kind of shop students at the NTMA Training Center in Ontario, CA have available while attending the school’s 7-month long, 720-hour, 5-module machinist training program. On top of that, the training facility has another 12,000 sq ft of classroom and office space and lots of room to grow.

“We’re really proud of our Ontario facility,” says Rick Kumler, lead instructor at the school. “NTMA training was established in 1968 to help develop a pool of skilled machinists to fill positions in the metalworking industry. Since then the program has graduated close to 20,000 students. Ontario is our newest school.”

The training center is sponsored by the Los Angeles chapter of the National Tooling & Machining Association, a business trade organization dedicated to helping the U.S. precision custom manufacturing industry achieve business success in a global economy. One of the ways the organization accomplishes its goals is to sponsor training centers offering a very thorough curriculum designed to create quality employees for entry-level jobs in the industry.

At present the Ontario center has about 178 students at various levels of training. Classes run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at night.

“We actually have the ability to double the number of students,” Kumler says. “We have the classroom and shop-floor space to do that, and we can add an afternoon program, too, if needed.”

Tough, Friendly Training Program

Students at the Ontario training center come from a variety of backgrounds, but most of them are what Kumler calls “Title 4” students.

“Title 4 is a federal program that pays for qualified students to attend school,” he says. “Many of our students have not yet worked in industry, so they have to go through an interview and an approved entrance exam to be accepted. That process helps assure that the students we get are serious about learning and determined to finish.”

To prepare their students to enter the job market, the Ontario center concentrates on three main areas of training.

“We make sure they get a balanced curriculum that gives them not just the machining skills, but the theoretical knowledge and the professionalism they will need to become good employees,” Kumler says. “We believe that our emphasis on theory is one thing that will make a difference for our students. About 30-40% of their 720 hours is spent in the classroom learning basic math, algebra, trig, blueprint reading and other things they need to know. Although our instructors speak a number of different languages, all classroom instruction is done in English. It’s important for students to be able to communicate and understand instructions in English, if they want to succeed in industry.”

Teamwork Emphasized

“We try to develop a sense of teamwork, of belonging to a team right from the beginning,” Kumler says. “In industry teamwork is critical. If employees don’t work together for the good of the company, they won’t last very long. So, to instill this sense in our students, we keep our classes together for the whole seven months. We have them all dress in NTMA T-shirts to emphasize that they’re part of a team. They learn together, work together and graduate together. They form long-term friendships.”

One way teamwork is taught is to have students help each when they run into snags.

“You’ll find in every classroom that some students will do better than others,” Kumler explains, “so, if we see somebody who’s having trouble with a subject, we’ll say to a student who isn’t, ‘Say, why don’t you give this guy a hand. He’s having a little problem there.’ We find this works very well and our students relate well to helping each other.”

Classes move together from module to module and teacher to teacher, giving them all shared experiences.

“Learning to be a part of a team is critical,” says Kumler. “Some of our students have never had a chance to build close relationships with others, so we give them that chance here. Their teamwork training culminates in module 5 when they work together to build a project. In module 5 each student makes a separate component to spec and then the team puts them all together. They quickly learn that if one of the components is not to print, the assembly won’t come together either. They become motivated, because they see how working as a team helps the whole group not just one person. It’s a great lesson for them.”

Professionalism Emphasized

There is no specific class at the school on the subject of how to be a good, professional employee, but the subject is ever present throughout the 7-month program.

“Our instructors have a combined industry experience of almost 300 years,” Kumler says. “They know exactly what industry expects of employees. As a result, throughout each module the instructor constantly emphasizes the need to meet industry requirements. What the expectations are, what the repercussions are for not meeting them. And, what the benefits can be for meeting them.”

Self-discipline is new to some of the school’s students on arrival, but not when they graduate.

Kumler: “We place high demands on the students. They have to arrive on time, do their projects on time. They have to learn that the company they work for has expectations and they have to meet them. It’s all about self-discipline and being a reliable employee. If a student misses a deadline, his grade drops. If he is constantly late for class, he gets called in for a chat. We try hard to keep our students, but persistent failure to follow the rules can result in expulsion. That’s equivalent to getting fired from a job. We set strict standards and expect them to be met.”

Modular Training

The school divides its offerings into five learning modules, each more advanced and more difficult than the previous.

“In module one, in addition to 20 hours of math and 10 hours of blueprint reading, we train students to use very basic equipment,” says Kumler. “Things like grinders, cutters for the lathes, fly cutters, hand files, hacksaws, that kind of thing.”

Module 2 is more advanced.

“In module 2 there’s a lot more algebra in the classroom,” Kumler says. “They learn percentages as they apply to taps and threads, that kind of thing. In the shop its using manual mills and lathes. They start to work on fly cutters, parallels, v-blocks. They’ll learn turning, knurling, threading, tapers, doing ID, OD, still all basic, but more advanced.”

Module 3 is where everything students have learned about conventional machining comes together, Kumler says.

“They really get going on mills, lathes and surface grinders,” he says. “They learn all the basics. How much and what to rough cut, what to finish cut, and so forth. Their classroom work is directly applicable to their shopwork now. They learn the theory and then watch it in action in the shop.”

Module 4 is a CNC language class.

“They learn CNC language, G&M code, how to use their trig to calculate tool paths,” Kumler says. “This class is usually a shock to students, because for the first time they learn there’s a new language out there they’ve never heard of before. Module 5, as I mentioned before is dedicated to producing a team project. They learn more advanced CNC. They have the opportunity to write and edit more complex programs and try them out on a CNC machine. They get to make things that are fun, like miniature arbor presses, little steam engines, things like that. Each person makes a component and then they assemble it all. This is the most exciting module of all for our students.”

Once students finish the program the school makes a pretty big deal out of graduation.

“Students who make it through our tough program deserve recognition for their achievement and their persistence,” Kumler says. “So we have a very nice graduation ceremony, with awards and that sort of thing. It’s a rewarding night for the students, their families and the faculty.”

Advanced Training Classes

The Ontario and other NTMA centers also offer advanced training programs for graduates who have worked for at least 90 days, and for employees of companies who want to send their people for advanced training.

“We offer classes in CNC machining, Inspection, basic and advanced Mastercam programming,” Kumler says. “It costs employers $100 for each student for each class, which includes books. It’s dirt cheap for what they get back, which is better trained employees. The problem with the advanced program is that not too many companies know about it yet.”

The bottom line for Kumler, who at the time of this article has been with the Training Center for 3 months is simple.

“I spent years finding and hiring quality employees in industry. Now I’m working hard to create them. I love it.”

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