MSC Software Corporation, the leader inmultidiscipline simulation solutions that accelerate product innovation, is supporting engineering education by providing licenses of its simulation and analysis software to universities in the Mexican province of Guanajuato, the company announced today.

Through a collaborative partnership with MSC Software, the Instituto Estatal de Capacitación del Estado de Guanajuato (IECA) will distribute Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) software licenses including MSC Nastran, Marc, and Adams to schools throughout Guanajuato that train students in computer-aided engineering for industries such as automotive, aerospace, civil engineering, manufacturing process, and light and mechanical metal industries. MSC Nastran finite element analysis (FEA) software is widely used in those and other industries to simulate stress/strain behavior, dynamic and vibration response, fatigue life, and nonlinear behavior in real-world systems. The licenses provided have a commercial value of approximately $1 million.

Guanajuato is a state of almost 6 million people located in central Mexico. Automobile and auto parts production are a major part of the economy, creating a demand for skilled employees. Volkswagen and General Motors are among the automotive companies with facilities in Guanajuato’s eight industrial centers.

Students who learn CAE software and methods are able to accurately predict complex product behavior; find design conflicts early in the design cycle when they are easy and inexpensive to fix; reduce design changes; and optimize designs for performance and reliability.

“Training the 60,000 young people who graduate from Guanajuato schools every year will help them find work in any of the eight industrial clusters in the state,” said Hector Lopez Santillana of Guanajuato’s Sustainable Economic Development Secretariat.

Students will obtain an MSC Software Simulation Certification upon completion of the training process. This ensures that the students understand the principals of simulation based engineering as they progress into industry.

The Guanajuato government has sought support from companies such as MSC Software to give “international scope and character” to its certification program for computer-aided design students.

“We are delighted to work with the IECA on this important and ambitious project,” said Dominic Gallello, CEO & President of MSC Software. “Globally there is a shortage of engineers with CAE skills and Mexico is no different. This program promises to well serve the needs of the region which continues to grow at a very rapid rate.”