Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, online, or virtual, machinist training was well established. But demand grew as in-person instruction was restricted, and interest will continue to flourish after herd immunity is achieved.
For the past decade, Mazak Corp. has offered online, on-demand training in addition to instructor-led courses at its training center and more customized training at customer facilities. When the coronavirus reared its ugly, spiked head in March 2020, all instructor-led courses went online until October, said Roy Gentry, national training manager for the Florence, Kentucky-based machine tool builder. The percentage shifted to about 50% earlier this year, and he expects about 30% of students to remain online for the instructor-led courses by summer.
“People who still don’t want to travel can take the online instructor-led classes,” he said, “but some…
