How Mastercam and ACE are training tomorrow’s machinists

April 15, 2025 – In the machine shop at Southwestern Illinois College’s (SWIC) Belleville campus, Clint Smith stands in front of a Haas CNC machine reflecting on how an idea to help the machining industry started to take root in his mind. 

The Senior Education Market Specialist with CAD/CAM powerhouse Mastercam is like many of us – he scrolls through social media every day to see what the world is talking about.

One day, something caught his eye.

“The word ACE just kept coming up more and more,” he said. “We became interested in it.”

About a year ago, that interest grew into a partnership as the popular industry software became a featured option for ACE’s free online CNC machining training.

Since then, more than 500 people have registered for the Mastercam version of the online course. That interest convinced Mastercam that people were hungry for more. 

Bridging the Skills Gap with Hands-On Training

Clint and others with Mastercam have worked diligently alongside ACE to take the benefits of the online curriculum and amplify them into something more tangible: in-person instruction with Mastercam software.

The reason? There’s a lack of awareness surrounding modern day careers in manufacturing.

“One thing that manufacturing suffers from is that people don’t know what it’s like to work in it,” Clint said. “Showing Mastercam technology to students opens their eyes to what careers in manufacturing actually look like.”

The inaugural ACE Mastercam bootcamp took place this semester at SWIC, a site that leans heavily on Mastercam in the training of its machining students.

Students walked through the software while getting hands-on time with CNC machines.

The results from the first camp were felt immediately.

“It’s great knowing I can come here and then find a job with skills I never would have had before,” said AJ Gniotczynski, SWIC student and ACE participant. “ACE has taught me a ton.”

Industry Takes Notice of the Training

Local industry is also interested in the new bootcamp. 

Seyer Industries, a manufacturing company that makes aerospace components, sees the latest option as critical to workforce development.

“Mastercam is an industry standard,” said Chance Henke, Workforce Development Manager at Seyer. “That’s where I see the value in ACE. It’s the exposure. This will help the industry out.”

While it’s no secret that finding talent has been a tripwire for companies, it’s his belief that the ACE Mastercam bootcamp can help alleviate that problem.

“We’re looking for how we grow that pipeline,” said Chance. “That’s what I see as a big benefit of the ACE program – it’s getting people exposed. The barrier to entry is low.”

ACE as a Hiring Pipeline

But to Mastercam and those in industry, ACE is more than just education – it extends to the employment process, too.

“If a company has a new hire, they could send them through this training,” said Matt Siehl, Content Developer for Mastercam. “You see things from the beginning of the process all the way to the end.”

“I see ACE as a recruiting tool,” Chance added. “We have an apprenticeship that this could serve as a pipeline to.”

Developing In-house Employees

Chance says the new training with Mastercam has also opened an opportunity for employees looking to move within the company.

Seyer runs a program called the Employee Development Program (EDP). The ACE Mastercam bootcamp will become part of EDP as Seyer hires machinists from the inside.

“Whenever we take someone from another department and we teach them to become a machinist, ACE is going to be a part of that,” he said.

Participants of the ACE Mastercam bootcamp will benefit from classroom instruction, time spent with Mastercam software, and guided training on CNC machines.

While the program is geared toward those without any CNC experience, those currently in industry can find value through applications such as the tap test.

“ACE is the catalyst to get that first touch point into machining,” Clint said. “And these bootcamps can also give you the training you need to take your skills to the next level.”

Click here to find an ACE site near you. Click here to see a calendar of upcoming ACE bootcamps.