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 Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (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 at: Skills for Success – Assessment and training tools.

The application of these skills may be described throughout this document within the skills and knowledge statements which support each subtask of the trade. The following are summaries of the requirements in each of the essential skills, taken from the essential skills profile.

• Reading

  Tool and Die Makers use reading skills to comprehend instructions and safety warnings on product and equipment labels. They also have to read reference material, product descriptions, work instructions on work orders and job files, policies and procedures applicable to the work they carry out and operating, safety and equipment manuals. Tool and Die Makers also need to read about new trends, technological developments, tooling practices and procedures in industry, and trade and safety publications.

• Document Use

  Tool and Die Makers need critical skills to locate data in charts and tables such as material composition sheets, specification tables and conversion tables. They also locate and complete information on tracking and quality control forms. Tool and Die Makers take data from and interpret a variety of graphs and graphical displays, and they locate dimensions and other features on complex shop drawings to fabricate parts and assemble production tools. Tool and Die Makers also require document use skills to examine perspective views and assembly drawings to understand and visualize the location, orientation and function of complex components and sub-assemblies.

• Writing

  Tool and Die Makers write comments in daily logbooks to create records and inform supervisors and co-workers. They may write e-mails and memos to clients, supervisors, engineers and technicians to provide and request information. Tool and Die Makers also write a variety of reports such as quality assurance and equipment repair logs. They also prepare estimating and work planning sheets.

• Numeracy

  Tool and Die Makers need advanced numeracy skills. They require skills to establish timelines, set sequence of operations, calculate the time required to complete each sub-assembly and determine project progress against timelines. Tool and Die Makers use measurement and calculation skills to take a variety of measurements to ensure conformance to specifications. These skills are also required to analyze the geometry of fabricated parts, to verify dimensions, distances and angles of design features, and to calculate cutting parameters such as speeds and feeds. Several trigonometric functions and mathematical formulas are used frequently in the day-to-day work of tool and die makers. Some calculations include speeds and feeds, and tolerance stack-up on machine parts and geometric interrelationships between parts features.

  Tool and Die Makers also use data analysis skills to compare instrument readings such as temperature, pressure and size to interpret fabrication process data and to analyze performance data for production tool sets under controlled and simulated conditions.

  Numerical estimation skills are used to estimate how much stock tool and die makers require to make components for production tools, to estimate the initial machine and equipment settings for testing production tool sets and producing prototypes, and to estimate the time required to complete jobs.

• Oral Communication

  Tool and Die Makers need good oral communication skills to communicate with supervisors and co-workers to coordinate tasks, in order to carry out activities correctly, safely and efficiently. They offer suggestions and advice on design features, materials and tooling procedures to improve quality and production efficiency. They also discuss design modifications with engineers and request technical information from them. They may give instructions, provide directions and offer explanations to apprentices and co-workers.

• Thinking

  Tool and Die Makers need strong thinking skills. Their problem solving skills are required when they discover that specifications are incorrect or need modifications, when they encounter problems with fabrication processes and when they find that malfunctioning equipment makes further fabrication impossible. The problem solving skills are then used to work with engineers, quality control personnel and co-workers to identify failures and corrective action requirements.

  Tool and Die Makers also use decision making skills to decide the sequence of operations such as assembly and machining of parts. The skill is also required to select the types of materials, supplies, tools, tooling paths and machines to use.

  Critical thinking skills are required to evaluate the quality and acceptability of fabricated production tools, to assess the suitability of specified materials and to evaluate the feasibility and technical soundness of production tool designs from both fabrication and quality perspectives.

  Tool and Die Makers need job task planning and organizing skills as they are responsible for setting the sequence of operations for the projects they are assigned.

• Working with Others

  Tool and Die Makers work as team members with engineers, designers, quality control personnel, co-workers and clients when designing production tools, and diagnosing and resolving faults in equipment, production tools and other products. They may work with technical experts to coordinate fabrication and assembly of parts and machines.

• Digital Technology

  Tool and Die Makers use databases to enter and retrieve information about current and past fabrication jobs. They also need computer skills when working with CAD and CAM software. These skills are also required to understand software and physical operation of CMM, CNC machine-tools and 3D printers. They may use electronic devices to communicate with others and perform Internet research.

• Continuous Learning

  Tool and Die Maker employers may offer training for skills development, new equipment, and health and safety training. However, much of their learning occurs day-to-day through the challenges and problems that arise during the course of each project and from discussions with experienced tool and die makers and other co-workers. They also read reference material to increase their trade knowledge, and industry publications to stay current on trends and new technologies.

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