Lost your job and looking for something to give you an edgeamidst all of the other job seekers? A new SolidWorksinitiative extends a hand to displaced designers and engineers, offering up afree version of the 3-D CAD tool in the hopes of giving job seekers a chance todevelop new skills that might help revitalize their careers.

The SolidWorksEngineering Stimulus Package includes a 90-day license of the SolidWorksStudent Design Kit software for non-commercial use along with training videos,tutorials, networking forums, a certification program and career resources. Theoffer, originally announced in February at SolidWorks World 2009, comes at a timewhen unemploymentis at a 25-year high at 8.5 percent and 3.3 million jobs have been lost in thelast five months - 161,000 jobs eliminated in the manufacturing sector alone justthis past March.

"We're seeing a lot of unemployment in this economicdownturn, especially in the manufacturing sector," says Oboe Wu, SolidWorks'global product manager for SolidWorks Premium. "We're looking to helpparticipants sharpen their 3-D skills and put them in a stronger position inthis competitive job market."

Currently, the SolidWorks Engineering Stimulus Package isonly available for U.S. or Canadian residents. In addition to the coreSolidWorks package, the offer includes the SolidWorks eDrawings email-enabledfile-sharing tool, hands-on test drives and training from participatingSolidWorks' resellers along with access to the SolidWorks Customer Portal forsupport, networking opportunities and discussion groups. More than half ofSolidWorks' North American VARs have agreed to offer hands-on test drives andsome will offer advanced training options to help participants get up to speedon the software.

One of the highlights of the program is free testing tobecome a CertifiedSolidWorks Associate, a credential that establishes competency in thesoftware and could be viewed as a differentiator for prospective job candidates.To help participants gear up for the certification test, SolidWorks is servingup tutorials on 3-D skills, along with many other training tools.

For Reid Bader, who hasn't officially been trained as anengineer, but is interested in pursuing that path, the SolidWorks certificationcould be just the springboard needed to facilitate a career change. Up untillast December, Bader, who holds a degree in physics, was the owner of a smallheating and mechanical systems construction company, doing a lot of work inAutoCAD as part of collaboration with architects. When business fell off in thefourth quarter, Bader was forced to shutter his company and went looking forresources that could help land new job opportunities in engineering and design."When you don't work, it's time to sharpen the blade," Bader says. "I'm a bigbeliever in computer certifications. This lets me get the training I needwithout having to go back to grad school."