2011 has come and gone and while the world did not come to an end, in some areas of Japan it must have seemed that way as the world watched in horror and the destructive forces of nature humbled us all.
Something brighter happened on the medical front where three patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia responded well to a new treatment that makes the patient’s own blood cells seek and destroy cancerous tumours in the body. Of the three patients, two are cancer-free a year after the treatment. The third still has some cancer but has improved – August issue of infoplease.com. We have also seen the revolution in the Middle East, an earthquake in New Zealand, a royal wedding and the deaths of Bin Laden and Gaddafi.
On the instrumentation front, the local Profibus and Foundation Fieldbus organisations held their first ever combined workshop in South Africa. I also read with interest how operator training simulators can be used to provide training for new operators and used to refresh the skills of experienced ones – SA Instrumentation and Control Jan 2012.
Within the SAIMC there are also changes, the move from a Society to a Section 21 company has brought many possibilities and we are also preparing for elections of new committees and council. Then there are the education and bursary schemes where an holistic approach is required to ensure maximum benefit for all.
What could such an approach look like?
Step 1: Junior First Lego League. The SAIMC works together with other organisations to roll out the Junior First Lego League competition. This competition is meant for children from 6 to 9 years old and introduces them to the world of measurement, control, automation, instrumentation and robotics.
Step 2: First Lego League. Here the SAIMC has already developed a trailer to house 10 sets which will be used to take this technology to schools who cannot afford this. The competition is aimed at children from 10 to 16.
Step 3: First technology Challenge. Now we address the children from 14 to 18. This is where we identify those who could benefit from a bursary to study engineering from artisan to degree level.
Step 4: Bursary. People can be identified who could benefit from a bursary scheme.
Step 5: Training. Here we need to look at the people who are already trained, but may not have managed to master their areas of responsibility. There are different possibilities that could be combined in one or more ways.
* Option 1 – SAIMC grades the various training institutes according to a scale that needs to be agreed by both vendors and end users.
* Option 2 – SAIMC creates a facility whereby companies request it to test employees who would like to improve their skills within current jobs. SAIMC then identifies strengths and weaknesses and develops a training plan for that employee.
* Option 3 – SAIMC divides the people, teaches the required skills by category. A test concludes the process.
All of these are just ideas at the moment, so join in the process and let me know what you think. Your input will be welcomed.
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