The implications of CAD for skills and training in electrical engineering

The authors report findings from a longitudinal study of CAD users in the British electrical engineering industry conducted between 1981 and 1988. CAD has diffused rapidly during the 1980s: over 50 per cent of British engineering establishments have invested in it. But the CAD market has become segmented. A small number of larger and more experienced users have succeeded in implementing CAD as an integrated business system. The majority of British engineering firms, however, have struggled to realise significant benefits. There is also a growing number of smaller firms investing in CAD. This has been encouraged by falling costs, and by the increasing sophistication of cheap PC-based CAD