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Skills to Compete – Milling

The purpose of this award is to equip the learner with the knowledge, skill and competence to operate a milling machine to approved standards.

Minor Award

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Course overview

The aim of this programme is to enable the learner to develop the knowledge, skills and competence to set up and safely operate, under supervision, a vertical milling machine.

This course is scheduled to run Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s from 6:30pm to 9:30pm for 10 weeks.

Please note  all Learners must have competent written and spoken English (CEFR B1 or Higher).

What will I study?

  • Explain the various parts of the vertical milling machine and their operations, including distinguishing the main differences between vertical, horizontal and universal milling machines
  • Explain how the milling machine is setup to produce production pieces
  • Explain the difference between climb milling and up milling
  • Apply safe working practices while operating a milling machine
  • Interpret simple component drawings
  • Prepare a vertical milling machine to produce production pieces, including identify and select milling cutter (slot drills, end mills, face mills), align milling head and machine vice, use auto lock and dead lock chuck for mounting cutters, select correct speeds and feeds on the machine for cutters, and select the appropriate settings for metal removal
  • Operate a vertical milling machine to produce production pieces to specification, including machining parallel surfaces to specified size, square surfaces to specified size, angular surfaces to specified angle, holes to specified positions, and open end slots to specified size, position and depth
  • Operate measuring equipment to establish production piece is to specification, including dial test indicator (DTI), vernier gauge, micrometer, rule, square, combination set, parallel strips and surface roughness gauge
  • Maintain the milling machine, tools and equipment as per manufacturer's recommendations and carry out routine maintenance of the machine.

What's the certification?

QQI Level 4 Minor Award Certificate in Milling (4N2886)

What are the entry requirements?

Education: No formal education or qualifications are required although applicants may have participated in primary and secondary education. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate a standard of knowledge, skill and competence equivalent to NFQ Level 3 when accessing a Level 4 programme. For further information please refer to Programme Descriptor

Aptitude: Applicants must have a motivation to learn, an interest in the subject and the ability to acquire the knowledge, skills and competencies set out in the course. For further information please refer to Programme Descriptor

Previous Experience: Applicants must be able to demonstrate a moderate range of knowledge, skills and competencies relevant to the course and be able to work under direction with some ability to work on their own initiative. For further information please refer to Programme Descriptor.

Fee Information

Fees apply to all part-time programmes

A fee waiver is in place for applicants in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. You can check your fee waiver eligibility with Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP), INTREO or your Local Employment Service (LES) office.

Learners in employment may also be granted a fee waiver under the Skills to Advance Initiative.  For more details on this please contact Claire at [email protected]

Still have questions?

Contact our Kerry College Admissions Offices – Tralee on 066 714 9696, Killarney on 064 662 2593 or [email protected]

Part-time Courses - FAQs

FET is short for Further Education & Training. Kerry College is an integrated college of FET. This means we do both progression-focused further education programmes and a range of employment-focused skills training programmes.

We enroll twice each year - January and September.

Part-time programmes run on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings, Friday afternoons, Saturday mornings, and increasingly online.

This depends on the course you choose. 

Some courses have long waiting lists, others - not so much. Places are filled on a first-come, first-served basis so the best advice we can offer is to apply in plenty of time.

We enroll over 1000 applicants to our part-time courses each year - so it's always busy.

As places are offered based on the date of application, our team could be working their way down through the list.

That said, always check.

You can call Mary on our Part-time courses team at 066-7149696.

Although all of our part-time courses are fee-paying, we do have a DEASP Fee Waiver in place for those in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. 

This is subject to a waiting list and demand for course places.

Most part-time courses run at Kerry College are Minor awards.

A Minor award is commonly referred to as a module - but also as a component certificate or a certificate of unit credit.

These single 'modules' may be completed and certificated individually. All minor awards are linked to a major award that allows learners to collect and build their minor awards and work towards gaining a major award.

Applications for all part-time programmes should be made online - via the Kerry College website or www.fetchcourses.ie

FETCH COURSES is the national application system for all FET course applications. 

All new applicants must set up a free account on www.fetchcourses.ie. You must use this to apply for all further education and training progarmmes anywhere in Ireland. 

For existing Fetch Courses account holders, login and apply as before. 

You can reset your password using your email or mobile phone. When you do, make sure you keep it for future reference.

Bear in mind, FETCH uses your PPS number to identify you - so although you might be able to set up a second account - it won't work properly.

If you're still stuck, contact our Admissions team on 066-714 96 96

No, aside from the DEASP Fee Waiver, all part-time courses are fee-paying.

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