Our Client:
Fortune 500 consumer products producer and distributor
The Project:
The client operates several plants located throughout the United States. All of the plants implement a standard set of production processes and are constantly upgrading equipment and control systems. Skilled-trades job seekers lack the high-end skills needed to effectively troubleshoot and maintain plant equipment and complex control systems. The client desired to employ the best of the marginal applicants and provide the necessary training and job experiences to bring them to a fully qualified maintenance technician level.
APS’ Mission:
Design and develop curricula and supporting training materials for a comprehensive two-year apprenticeship program for industrial electrical control technicians and mechanics, including cross-training for multi-craft personnel.
The Challenges:
Design and develop a standardized electrical and mechanical curricula to prepare individuals academically for their roles as maintenance technicians. Incorporate job-related practical exercises to build needed plant troubleshooting skills. Work with local community colleges to provide curriculum support for classroom training. Work with plant maintenance management to ensure job relevance and identify practical work exercises.
APS’ Approach:
APS formed a project team of experienced industrial maintenance and training specialists. APS worked closely with the client to develop a college-level curriculum for electrical and mechanical trades that could be implemented at local community colleges or trade schools. The team worked with the client to identify appropriate academic and practical program content and with local community colleges to address program delivery issues.
The Results:
APS designed and developed student and instructor training materials, hands-on laboratory and in-plant practical exercises, and job-related work assignments to support comprehensive electrical and mechanical curricula. APS also researched and specified necessary components and equipment to accomplish the laboratory exercises. All courses use commercially available text materials as references.
The courses are scheduled on a semester system to be conducted over a two year period coupled with course-related work assignments at the plants. The program was implemented successfully at several of the client’s locations and has run through one complete cycle.
Overviews of the electrical and mechanical curricula are shown below. In addition to the program elements shown, both programs contain two blocks of cross-training subjects for developing multi-craft technicians.