51-4111.00 · Learning planner
Tool and Die Makers: a task-based learning plan
Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.
Explore the complete task inventory first →
Understand the profile before choosing priorities
The table shows the ten highest importance ratings among 35 skills with usable ratings. Skills tied on importance can share a rank. Importance (1–5) and level (0–7) describe different dimensions. A level of 4 is not 4/7 of a course, and neither scale is your personal score. Source dates refer to the underlying rating, not the database release date.
| Skill | Importance / 5 | Level / 7 | Rating date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.25 | 3.75 | 08/2021 · Analyst |
| Operation and Control | 3.25 | 3.12 | 08/2021 · Analyst |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.25 | 3.00 | 08/2021 · Analyst |
| Critical Thinking | 3.12 | 3.12 | 08/2021 · Analyst |
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 3.00 | 08/2021 · Analyst |
| Equipment Selection | 3.12 | 3.00 | 08/2021 · Analyst |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.12 | 3.00 | 08/2021 · Analyst |
| Time Management | 3.12 | 2.88 | 08/2021 · Analyst |
| Active Learning | 3.00 | 3.12 | 08/2021 · Analyst |
| Active Listening | 3.00 | 3.00 | 08/2021 · Analyst |
Anchor the plan in an actual task
Choose one reported task you want to understand better. Then choose one to three skills and describe an appropriate learning activity, evidence you will review and a date. For practical work requiring authorization, choose relevant coursework, observation or supervised training.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for tool and die makers.
Level 4: Assess new parts for precision and accuracy to specifications
Level 2: Inspect a draft email for errors (e.g., grammar, punctuation)
What is being checked, what defines a defect, and what evidence would be retained?
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for tool and die makers.
Level 4: Adjust the speed of assembly line equipment based on the product being assembled
Level 2: Navigate the settings on an office printer to print on both sides of the paper
Which authorized training and documented operating limits would you need to understand first?
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for tool and die makers.
Level 2: Monitor completion times while running a computer program
Level 4: Monitor machine functions on an automated production line
Which indicator would you observe, what is its expected range, and how would you record an exception?
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for tool and die makers.
Level 4: Evaluate customer complaints and determine appropriate responses
Level 2: Determine whether a subordinate has a good excuse for being late
What assumption could change your conclusion, and what evidence would you check first?
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for tool and die makers.
Level 2: Proofread and correct a letter
Level 4: Monitor a meeting and revise the agenda to ensure important topics are discussed
What result or exception would you inspect during the task, and when would you revisit it?
Equipment Selection
Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for tool and die makers.
Level 2: Select a tool to adjust a loose part on a bicycle
Level 4: Choose a software application to complete a work assignment
Which task requirements would you use to compare appropriate equipment or tools?
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for tool and die makers.
Level 2: Decide how scheduling a break will affect work flow
Level 4: Evaluate a loan application for degree of risk
Which options, constraints and consequences would you compare, and what could change the choice?
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for tool and die makers.
Level 2: Keep a monthly calendar of appointments
Level 4: Allocate the time of subordinates to projects for the coming week
What needs to happen first, where is the deadline, and what would you do if time runs short?
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for tool and die makers.
Level 4: Determine the impact of new menu changes on a restaurant's purchasing requirements
Level 2: Think about the implications of a news article for job opportunities
What new information would change your approach, and how would you record the change?
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for tool and die makers.
Level 2: Take a customer's order
Level 4: Answer inquiries regarding credit references
What would you ask the other person to clarify, and how would you confirm you understood?
Review the result
Your plan should explain why the selected skills matter for your chosen task, what you will do next and what evidence you will examine. Revisit the plan after that activity. Completing a worksheet or matching an occupation’s ratings does not establish professional competence.
Keep your worksheet
Download before leaving this page. Unsaved writing remains only in the page and is cleared on refresh. Notes and learning actions are not sent to a server. This guide describes an occupation and supports study planning; it does not provide clinical, legal or equipment-operating procedures.
Source and practice material
Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.
Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.