Software helps prepare students for job in industry

For schools, keeping their finger on the pulse of such rapidly advancing technology is by no means straightforward. Nevertheless, Katholieke Scholen Diest is not deterred and is investing heavily in the coming years to increase the appeal of its technical courses.  to help increase productivity. To move from conventional to CNC-controlled milling, the school invested in FeatureCAM through supplier 4D CAM.

"If we want to achieve one thing with the investments it is to inspire others as well. To give them a different view of what technology can be."

Since January 2015, the schools Voorzienigheid and Sint-Jan together form a degree school in Diest: KS Diest. In a grade school, the divisions between ASO, TSO and BSO fall away. Students can sink their teeth into a wide range of subjects in the first grade to discover their talents. As director of STEM, Bruno Leys is closely involved in the technical and scientific subjects. "It remains a struggle to convince young people and especially their parents to opt for technical directions. However, in many cases the opinions they have about it no longer match reality. They are not courses where you just have to get your hands dirty, as the cliché would have it. Quite a lot of insight and skills are needed to achieve the complex products that are produced today.

Master Plan

Technology, however, is constantly changing. KSD has therefore drawn up a master plan to invest heavily in STEM education over the next five years so that classes and the professional field will be better connected. An important link in that chain is the arrival of a new software package. Mechanics teacher Mario Dullers: "In industry, CNC technology is now
ingrained. In school, we are catching up. Of course, we still see added value in conventional turning and milling in order to master craftsmanship. But they should also already be able to get a taste of what is to come."

It continues to struggle against prejudice to convince young people and especially their parents to choose technical directions.

Threshold as low as possible

However, the software to implement CNC programs left much to be desired. Dullers: "The ease of use was not there and the supplier turned his nose up at support, so we couldn't do enough with it." A new package was therefore sought. One that could keep the threshold for teachers as low as possible to get as much out of it as possible for students. "The FeatureCAM software from the Autodesk suite turned out to be free for schools. As a result, we only had to invest in training. But also the capabilities fit perfectly with what we need. Anyone can get started with it and control a machine with a few simple mouse clicks. Our sixth graders also have to create more complex pieces with the software. That's how we create continuity over the years."

Three machines can now be controlled remotely due to close cooperation.

Proper support

For KSD, that is one of the software's main strengths. "We immediately felt that we were also stuck with supplier 4D CAM," Dullers continues. "If we have a question, we always find a listening ear and a solution. For example, they provided the necessary support to enable communication with another machine. With some common sense and a lot of willingness from everyone, we managed relatively easily to connect three CNC machines and have them controlled centrally. A strong example of technical ingenuity. Incidentally, our IT department also worked closely on this."

Investing in attitudes

CNC will become even more important in training in the coming years, but in Diest they also insist on the right attitudes. "As a school, you can never follow the fast pace of the industry. But we can give our students the right basis, attitudes and skills. That way they build skills and motivation that they can use later on in the workplace. We want our students to be proud of what they do. When you see what they can do, with what precision they make things, that is truly art. If we want to achieve one thing with the investments, it is to inspire others as well. To give them a different idea of what technology can be. To put them on the road to a great job," Leys concludes.