A skill matrix template for sheet metal and fabrication units (free download)

Every fabrication shop already carries a skill grid. It lives in the foreman's head. He knows that only one man folds long cabinet sides without twisting them, and that the dairy-tank TIG work waits for the day shift. The trouble starts when he is on leave, or when he leaves.

The layout below moves that knowledge out of his head and onto paper. Copy it into a spreadsheet, or print it on A3 and tape it next to the production board. It suits shops that shear, punch, laser cut, fold, weld, blend, coat and crate under one roof.

HEADER: unit name, bay or shift, date reviewed, reviewed by.
LEVEL 0: not trained, may not operate.
LEVEL 1: learning under watch, repeat jobs only.
LEVEL 2: works alone on repeat jobs and known drawings.
LEVEL 3: sets up, does the first-off, handles new drawings and changeovers.
LEVEL 4: can train others and sign off levels 1 to 3.
COLUMNS, one per station: guillotine shearing; turret punching, nibbling and louvre forming; laser loading and sorting; nesting.
COLUMNS, continued: brake on plain brackets; brake on long panels, hems and joggles; spot and projection welding; stud welding.
COLUMNS, continued: MIG on mild-steel frames; TIG on thin stainless; tacking to marked datums; flap-disc grinding and seam blending.
COLUMNS, continued: powder hanging, masking and curing; self-clinching nut insertion and riveting; hinge, latch and gasket fitting; crating.
ROWS, one per person: name, trade, grade, shift, date of joining.
EACH CELL: level, date signed, assessor's initials.
BOTTOM ROW: headcount rated level 2 and higher, per station, per shift.
RED FLAG: any station where under two people on a shift reach level 2.
RIGHT COLUMN: next skill planned for this person and target month.
SAFETY GATE: no level above 1 on guillotine, turret or brake until the guarding induction is countersigned.

Delete stations you do not run and split the ones that hide two skills. Brake work is the usual case. A helper who folds small L-brackets is not yet a bender who plans the order for a tray with returns on every side. Give those two jobs separate columns.

Welding needs the same care. A MIG hand happy on 3 mm frames may scorch 1 mm stainless or blow holes through it. Keep processes apart, and add columns for countersinking, tapping or stud welding if your cabinets carry many threaded fixings.

1. 1

   At joining

   The supervisor adds a row on day one. Every cell starts at level 0, even for an experienced hire, until he is seen working.

2. 2

   After each sign-off

   The assessor watches a real job or a test piece, writes the new level, the date and his initials. Pencil entries from memory do not count.

3. 3

   Every Monday

   The supervisor reads the bottom row for the week's shifts and moves people to cover any red station before the week's orders bite.

4. 4

   Once a month

   The owner and supervisor go through the red flags and the right-hand column together, and set target months for the next sign-offs.

5. 5

   At exit

   The row is struck through, not deleted, so the gap it leaves shows up in the bottom count straight away.

• Brake, level 2: folds a repeat Z-bracket to drawing, confirms angle with a protractor and flange with a vernier, halts when either disagrees.
• Brake, level 3: picks punch, V-opening and gauge fingers, plans fold order on an unfamiliar tray, passes the opening piece.
• TIG, level 2: lays an even, ripple-free bead on the shop's usual stainless gauge, tint kept to pale straw.
• Tacking, level 3: reads the drawing, scribes datums, measures diagonals before striking an arc, hands over a root the welder accepts.
• Powder line, level 2: hooks panels, plugs threads and earthing studs, spots sags or bare edges before the oven.

Write your own version of each line, using jobs the shop actually makes. A fabricator's learning plan turns these sign-offs into a route. For the brake, see the bending shop path.

Once the levels are trusted, people will ask what each is worth. Answer first. Tie every grade to a bundle of stations at a stated level, and pin that link beside the grid. A deburring helper then sees what he must learn to climb, and a bender sees why his grade outranks a grinder's.

Build the grades slowly. A matrix filled in a hurry and tied to pay the same month invites arguments about every cell. Run it for a quarter first, so the assessors settle their judgement.

Print the sheet, fill one bay this week and count the red cells. A general method is laid out in the step-by-step matrix guide. Other people issues in this trade appear on the fabrication hub. For help setting levels and grades, list what you need.