Industrial re-training programmes for technicians and craftsmen

This paper follows the introduction of a typical microprocessor-based product through a medium-sized company and specifically identifies the training needs of the technicians. The technician job functions are identified, where they are in the company, and the tasks they will be expected to perform. A microprocessor-based test system is described, and the specific product differences from its predecessors used to identify the re-training requirements. Suggestions are made for training modules for various skill grades and jobs. This detail is then consolidated into a company training programme covering a three-year period aimed at ensuring that the technicians are taught what they should know when they need to know it. It is concluded that successful training must be specific to the application, with tight links between the teachers and the industrial environment.