Validation of competencies for computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technicians in Nigerian industries

This study addressed the validation of goals and competencies necessary to establish the curriculum to train CAD/CAM technicians in Nigerian industries. A census survey was utilized to collect data regarding the perceptions of the Nigerian and other African foreign trained nationals on the goals and competencies for CAD/CAM technicians in Nigeria. The instrument was validated by a panel of experts and field tested. Reliability was determined by pilot testing and analyzed using Cronbach's Alpha and test-retest procedures. The alpha coefficient was.71 and the test-retest procedures yielded 76% agreement between the two tests administered.;The data analyzed, using descriptive statistics indicated that respondents who are Nigerians constituted 88% of the total respondents for the survey. A majority of the respondents indicated that manufacturing, building, and construction industries will benefit more from the application of CAD/CAM technologies in Nigeria. The respondents also thought utilization of CAD/CAM technology will enhance accuracy and efficiency in their industries.;All the goals of the CAD/CAM technology program were rated to be of importance except goal C; "Perform paper management", that was also ranked low by both college professors and industry engineers. This indicates that all the experts agreed that most of the CAD/CAM goals are important. It is important to note that almost all of the competencies were rated to be important for inclusion in the curriculum for CAD/CAM technology except a few that showed significant differences using t-tests to compare the significant differences noted between the responses of the college professors and industry engineers. However, the differences noted could be related to the fact that goal statements are too broad, leading to several interpretations while specific competencies give more guidance and are more precise. Importantly, managerial competencies were those that tended to miss the cut off point of 3.00. Furthermore, based on the comparison of data from the rating of goals and the grand means of competency ratings as they relate to goals and competencies, this study validated 9 goals and 64 competencies for developing CAD/CAM technology program to train CAD/CAM technicians in Nigerian industries.