Summer 2008
Volume 1, Issue 1

Director's Board

Campus Highlights

SkillsUSA

Graduates' Report

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Pictured Left to Right: Joseph Mackin, Ryan Lee, Instructor Danny Johns, & Director Rick Brewer.

The Tennessee Technology Center at Hohenwald just received notification today, September 2, 2008, that the Machine Tool Technology Program earned its NIMS Accreditation.  This is a highly prized accreditation credential that is only possessed by minimum number of Machining Programs across the state.  This credential is solely bestowed following an extensive application process, which consists of an intense self-evaluation and self-study, followed by a concentrated site visit involving an all-aspects inspection of the program and even in-person interviews of the team with past and potential employers of program graduates.

Considering the intense nature of the process, one might wonder why an educational institution would voluntarily pursue accreditation and why NIMS in connection with machining?    In the following paragraphs, the “why” will be defined, beginning with who is NIMS.  NIMS is the recognized acronym representing National Institute for Metalworking Skills. 

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) was formed in 1995 by the   metalworking trade associations to develop and maintain globally competitive American workforce.  NIMS sets skills standards for the industry, certifies individual skills against the standards and accredits training programs that meet NIMS quality requirements. 

NIMS operates under rigorous and highly disciplined processes as the only developer of American National Standards for the nation’s metalworking industry accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

NIMS has a stakeholder base of over 6,000 metalworking companies.  The major trade associations in the industry- the Association for Manufacturing Technology, the American Machine Tool Builder Association, the National Tooling & Machining Association,  the Precision Machine Products Association, the Precision Metalforming Association, and the Tooling and Manufacturing Association- have invested over $7.5 million in private funds for the development of the NIMS standards and its credentials. The associations also contribute annually to sustain NIMS operations and are committed to the upgrading and maintenance of the standards.

NIMS has developed skills standards in 24 operational areas covering the breadth of metalworking operations including metalforming (Stamping, Press Brake, Roll Forming, Laser Cutting) and machining ( Machining, Tool and Die Making, Mold Making, Screw Machining, Machine Building and Machine Maintenance, Service and Repair).  The Standards range from entry (Level I) to a master level (Level III). All NIMS standards are industry-written and industry-validated, and are subject to regular, periodic reviews under the procedures accredited and audited by ANSI.  NIMS certifies individual skills against the national standards.  The NIMS credentialing program requires that the candidate meet both performance and theory requirements. Both the performance and knowledge examinations are industry-designed and industry-piloted.  There are 48 distinct NIMS skill certifications.

Industry uses the credentials to recruit, hire, place and promote individual workers.  Training programs use the credentials as performance measures of attainment, often incorporating the credentials as completion requirements.  The credentials are often the basis for articulation among training programs.   NIMS has issued 13,383 credentials as of December 31, 2006, with over 1,000 companies having been involved in the credentialing process.

 NIMS accredits training programs, such as the Machine Tool Technology Program of TTC Hohenwald, that meet its quality requirements.  The NIMS accreditation requirements include an on-site audit and evaluation by a NIMS industry team that reviews and conducts on-site inspections of all aspects of the training programs, including administrative support, curriculum, plant, equipment and tooling, student and trainee progress, industry involvement, instructor qualifications and safety.  Officials governing NIMS accredited programs report annually on progress and are subject to re-accreditation on a five year cycle.  There are 105 certified NIMS Team Leaders from private industry who lead the on-site audits. 

The purpose of NIMS national accreditation is to improve the quality of training programs as part of the national endeavor to build and maintain and globally competitive workforce while providing career opportunities to employees.  Only programs that meet or exceed NIMS quality standards may be accredited. Those programs may be in industry, education or a combination of both, or inter-firm programs. Instructors must earn NIMS credentials in the modules that they instruct.  Students/workers must have earned credentials in the modules for which accreditation is sought. These requirements are prior to accreditation.

Achieving NIMS accreditation is a great asset for educational institutions in that it conveys an important message about the quality of the school to parents, the local governing body, state and federal partners, foundations, future students, industry and the local community.  Skills in the metalworking industry are certified through the earning of NIMS credentials by the instructor and student.  The credentials are awarded on satisfactory completion of both performance tests and related theory exams.  The standard- based assessments are drawn from the industry validated metalworking standards. Both performance and theory assessments are developed by the industry and piloted in the industry.

The national NIMS standards are modular, thus permitting credentials based on specific metalworking competencies. For example, there are eight distinct credentials in Machining Level I. There are seven distinct credentials in Metal Stamping Level II.  These competency specific credentials enable the employer to assess candidates in those skills most applicable the firm's needs and enable training institutions to measure program performance tailored to industry's needs.

The Tennessee Technology Center at Hohenwald proudly recognizes the importance of accreditation and credentialing and wishes to congratulate Mr. Danny Johns and the Machine Tool students, Joseph Mackin and Ryan Lee, who assisted with the program’s attainment of the accreditation.  Additionally, TTC Hohenwald also wishes to thank the machining industry employers of David Ashmore of Hohenwald Machine Works, Kevin King of King Machine Works and Mike Greene of Columbia Machine Works, who took time from a busy work day to interview with the team