Tormach is expanding a partnership within the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) to help schools structure coursework so students can have the right skills after graduation. How did this partnership come about?
Heather Curtis: Tormach has partnered with NC3 for a few years now, but what makes 2026 special is we’re really kicking it up a notch. We’re making a more focused investment in educationat Tormach, and NC3 is one of our biggest channels to make that happen. Tormach’s partnership with NC3 is about helping schools align CNC coursework with real workforce needs at a time when U.S. manufacturing faces a projected 1.5 to 2 million worker shortfall in the coming decade.
Craig Foucht: The partnership has grown out of a previous initiative with NC3. Tormach and NC3 were involved with a program that was designed around makerspaces called PHabLABs. What they were really looking at was the typical machine that you would see being used inside of a makerspace. A couple years ago, we started to expand that because there was interest from the schools within our network wanting to have something larger scale. We went from something that was designed around a makerspace type curriculum to actually doing metal milling with light industrial machines. What we saw was the opportunity to continue a relationship directly between Tormach and NC3 outside of the PHabLAB. Now, we’re looking at how we can scale this program to provide for the additional needs of our schools.
How does this change how local manufacturers view CTE programming as hiring pipelines?
Foucht: We get that from all of our industry partners. Sometimes, when people graduate, the employers don’t know the students coming out of the programs actually have the skills, so what’s better than having a third party to validate the competencies a student has learned and validate that with a certification.
One of the things we pride ourselves with at NC3 is trying to reduce barriers for students to be able to earn certifications or validation from a third party. We do not charge per student exam fees. Instead, what we would rather see is the school investing those dollars into good quality equipment.
Some certifications don’t have equipment requirements to deliver technical competencies, but that can lead to students learning on equipment that might not be the industry standard. We partner with quality manufacturers of the equipment needed to learn the competencies, and then, instead of having them pay fees every time a student takes an exam, they spend that money up front to invest in quality equipment.
In what way are these onsite virtual CNC training options modernizing school programs and making them relevant to real world job possibilities?
Curtis: Tormach has offered on-site training for teachers with NC3 for a few years already, unfortunately we noticed last year, with a lot of federal budget cuts, that schools were hit pretty hard and had to pull back their spending. Many of our in-person training got canceled not for lack of demand, but because schools couldn’t afford to go. Being able to do virtual courses now starting in 2026 helps breaks down the barrier for that travel cost. It makes it more accessible to more schools.
Foucht: We try to get the instructor out of their environment that they’re currently in. We really like to get them in an environment where they’re learning the competencies that we’ve identified with Tormach or other industry partners in an environment that gives them inspiration and allows them to learn from peers. The peer-to-peer learning that happens during professional development allows instructors to learn what students struggle with in the classroom, not just the technical skills.
We go through a very rigorous process to create master instructors. Not only do they have to go through professional development, they’ve got to go back and successfully train their students. Once that happens, they go through a shadowing process with a current master instructor before teaching peers.
Can you explain how Tormach’s classroom-ready curriculum for its xsTECH CNC router is an important part of this training partnership?
Curtis: We have a curriculum and certification program with NC3 that uses our xsTECH desktop CNC router called CNC Fundamentals. Separately from NC3, Tormach’s education team recently launched a free online curriculum for educators in Canvas, and it also uses the xsTECH router. That free curriculum is self-guided and can be accessed through a link on the Tormach website. There’s no certification component to it.
If a teacher is brand new to CNC or just bought one of our xsTECH routers, they now have a project library and presentation materials they can go to and pull from. It’s a great free resource we’re offering, and it’s designed to complement, not replace, the NC3 curriculum. The NC3 version is really about committing to offering an industry-recognized certification at your school and for your students, it’s more structured as a path for being skill ready for a career in machining.
What’s been the industry reaction to this program?
Curtis: We’ve already seen strong interest, which is a big reason we’re continuing to invest. That interest helped lead to the launch of a new certification program in metal milling. This program allows students to get hands-on experience with larger, industry-standard CNC mills. We had our first Metal Milling Train-the-Trainer last summer, and it filled up quickly.
