NIMS is pleased to announce the official accreditation of the CNC 203: Programming, Setup & Operations program at Symbol Training Institute in Skokie, Illinois!  Since first applying for accreditation in August 2011, the staff and faculty at Symbol have met NIMS standards and will continue to set the bar for exceptional metalworking training for post-secondary education in the state of Illinois.

To complete the accreditation audit, an On-Site Evaluation took place at the Symbol facility on November 14-15, 2012, and was conducted by veteran NIMS Evaluation Team Leader Joan Cook of RICOWI in Clinton, Ohio.  Assisting Joan was Jeff Hines, Department Chair for the CNC & Machine Tool Trades Programs at the College of Lake County, whose training program was previously accredited by NIMS and is in the process of renewing that accreditation status.

The audit at Symbol included a facility inspection of the metalworking shop, as well as a host of in-depth interviews with students, instructors, administrators, program advisory committee members, and local employers.  Following these events, the evaluation team gathered enough evidence to recommend accreditation, giving the program very high ratings in the areas of instructional staff and administration support.  Ms. Cook went on to comment that the facility was an "exceptional, very clean, well organized shop," and that she received "good comments from students and employers."

This accreditation is in Level I Machining Skills, with an emphasis on:

• Measurement, Materials & Safety
• Job Planning, Benchwork, & Layout
• CNC Milling: Programming, Setup & Operations
• CNC Turning: Programming, Setup & Operations

Congratulations to everyone involved in this process, especially Director of Business Operations Tom Peters and Manager Jack Krikorian for working actively to secure this accreditation!   Special thanks to the Evaluation Team as well, without which this would not be possible!

To learn more about this program, click the link above or contact Tom Peters.