Skills for success (Essential Skills) summary

Essential skills are needed for work, learning and life. They provide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to evolve with their jobs and adapt to workplace change.

Through extensive research, the Government of Canada and other national and international agencies have identified and validated nine essential skills. These skills are used in nearly every occupation and throughout daily life in different ways.

A series of CCDA-endorsed tools have been developed to support apprentices in their training and to be better prepared for a career in the trades. The tools can be used independently or with the assistance of a tradesperson, trainer, employer, teacher or mentor to:

• understand how essential skills are used in the trades;
• learn about individual essential skills strengths and areas for improvement; and
• improve essential skills and increase success in an apprenticeship program.

Tools are available online or for order.

The application of these skills may be described throughout this document within the skills and knowledge which support each sub-task of the trade. The most important essential skills for each sub-task have also been identified. The following are summaries of the requirements in each of the essential skills, taken from the essential skills profile. A link to the complete essential skills profile can be found on the Red Seal website.

• Reading

  Machinists require strong reading skills to gather information from forms and labels. They also need to read longer texts such as notes, letters, process sheets, manuals (Machinerys Handbook), specifications, regulations, reports, data collection, books and charts.

• Document Use

  Document use is a significant essential skill for this trade. Machinists need to be able to refer to and interpret several types of documents such as inspection reports, work orders, charts, sketches, drawings, set-up sheets and job travellers. They also need to be able to enter information or create these documents.

• Writing

  Writing skills are used by machinists to record job procedures, write work-related requests, record tooling lists and setup sheets, and record work instructions and process sheets.

• Oral Communication

  Some tasks performed by machinists require oral communication skills, including exchanging technical information with co-workers in their trade and other trades, discussing work with supervisors, interacting with clients and instructing less-experienced machinists and apprentices.

• Numeracy

  Numeracy skills are very important in the everyday work of machinists. Machinists frequently calculate measurements and dimensions of raw materials and finished products to make sure they match specifications. They must calculate speeds and feeds for the machines that they operate. Layout of workpieces requires strong geometry and trigonometry skills.

• Thinking

  Machinists must plan, make allowances and corrections, and determine the best sequence of work processes. They use problem solving skills to assess and adjust machining processes according to unforeseen circumstances. Machinists must make decisions and use critical thinking about the materials, processes or tools to use for specific jobs. They may initiate design changes. They may be responsible for scheduling and delegating tasks to apprentices or junior machinists.

• Working with Others

  Much of machinists work may be done independently such as interpreting, planning, producing and repairing parts. Machinists may work with other machinists to carry out new or complex tasks, or work on larger jobs. They may also work with engineering staff and computer programming staff.

• Digital Technology

  Machinists may use computers and computer-aided design (CAD) software in their work. They may use computers to access database information, reference electronic manuals and resources, communicate with others or perform Internet research. Certain equipment such as coordinate measuring machines (CMM) and computer numerical control (CNC) machines require digital technology skills.

• Continuous Learning

  Machinists are required to stay abreast of new technologies, products and trends in the machining industry.

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