| Type | Non-profit |
|---|---|
| Industry | online training e-learning online education |
| Founded | Cleveland, Ohio (1999) (as Tooling University) |
| Headquarters | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Key people | Chad H. Schron, VP Operations and Technology |
| Website | www.toolingu.com |
Tooling U (Tooling University) is an online training service providing workforce development training via distance education for engineers, machinists, press operators, assemblers, and industrial maintenance professionals.
Contents |
Tooling U classes are Internet-only classes, using photos and illustrations, an audio voice-over, streaming video, an interactive dictionary, and an interactive note-taking capability. "Tooling U classes should always be used in a blended learning curriculum incorporating online training at Tooling U, instructor-led training at a school or company and 'lab' time in the form of hands-on instruction at school or work." Tooling U content isSCORM and AICC compliant.
Tooling U is not accredited as an institution educational accreditation, but does align its curricula to various standards, including MSCC and NIMS. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are offered thorough an affiliation with Ohio State University. Students seeking a degree or other credentialing must combine Tooling U with live training at colleges, technical schools, or company-sponsored apprenticeship programs. Many companies utilize Tooling U as a stand-alone training package for sales and purchasing personnel, engineers, and other professionals where hands-on skills are not the primary goal.
Tooling U launched its first online classes in the fall of 2001. Tooling University LLC was split from its parent company, Jergens, Inc., a Cleveland-based manufacturer of workholding devices and hoist rings. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) purchased Tooling U in OCtober 2010, making the service a wholly owned group within the non-profit organization.