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CNC training – the teaching gap

Written By Ashish Kumar S

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November 8, 2025

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CNC: CNC skills – the industry-education gap

The picture below shows the steps involved in machining a part on a CNC lathe or machining center. There are 12 steps, and each step is a skill to be imparted.

However, the typical syllabus in India at the Diploma and BE levels only has programming, just 1 of the 12 skills. When we talk of the industry-institute gap, in this case it is a horrendous 92 % (11 out of 12 skills missing). There’s this general misconception that you just write a CNC program and feed it into the machine, and the machine then runs itself.

However, the typical syllabus in India at the Diploma and BE levels only has programming, just 1 of the 12 skills. When we talk of the industry-institute gap, in this case it is a horrendous 92 % (11 out of 12 skills missing). There’s this general misconception that you just write a CNC program and feed it into the machine, and the machine then runs itself.

of topics that need to be covered in CNC machining. If you have enough time to cover all these topics (like in an elective), you can include all of them. Alternatively, you can replace some of the current topics in your syllabus with topics from this list.
For some years now I have been part of the syllabus committee in some universities. I’m available in case you want me as part of the syllabus committee or even just for a quick consult. All for free

Author

Ashish Kumar S

cadem
Ashish brings strong techno-commercial depth across CNC productivity solutions, CAD/CAM systems, and skill development initiatives. As the face of CADEM’s CNC ecosystem, he drives solution adoption and market growth by aligning advanced manufacturing software with real-world production challenges. A passionate advocate of CNC education in India, he actively engages with customers and students to bridge the gap between industry needs and workforce readiness.

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