A CAD trainee works in an entry-level job position or internship that prepares them for a CAD career in fields such as architecture, interior design, or civil engineering. Working with CAD usually entails creating detailed blueprint drawings that adhere to industry standards. The average CAD trainee aspires to work in one of these fields, and one of these positions frequently offers a good opportunity to learn CAD from experienced professionals. Typical CAD trainee responsibilities include assisting a CAD designer team with projects and performing basic design steps like converting two-dimensional drawings to three-dimensional formats.
There are resources for CAD trainee job placement in many college degree programs. Students in their final years of study in a field that requires daily use of CAD software are usually eligible for these types of CAD jobs. In order to demonstrate a basic understanding of relevant design practices, some positions may require a portfolio submission of hand-drawn blueprints. In addition, good candidates for CAD trainee positions have typically completed coursework in measurement scaling and the applied vocabulary of their respective design fields. Depending on the school program and sponsoring company, these jobs may be paid or unpaid, but many students consider them to be important first steps toward career advancement.
A new CAD design trainee’s responsibilities may include drawing the outline of a building with this software, labeling different components according to industry standards, and scaling finished drawings to the required sizes for printing. Trainees are frequently taught how to operate and calibrate large-scale printers that produce finished blueprints. They may also help with the binding of finished drawings into packets for easy storage and reference.
Multi-component parts, such as engine design, are frequently assisted CAD trainees in engineering fields. They can use CAD to create realistic renderings of machine components with accurate engineering measurement conversions. One of the most important skills for a CAD trainee is the ability to accurately scale plans and blueprints so that they can be converted to actual dimensions once construction on a project begins. Many of these entry-level positions include hands-on training in using CAD to fit various three-dimensional parts together while checking for measurement or scaling errors. After one or two years of success in this entry-level CAD position, a trainee may be promoted to more advanced CAD positions within the company.