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Introduction
SkillsTrac is a comprehensive industrial maintenance training program, specially designed for the advanced manufacturing industry. Advanced manufacturing operations employ modern automation systems, which include programmable logic controllers, human-machine interfaces, variable frequency control of AC motors, motion control of servomotors, and robotics. SkillsTrac prepares its students with the skills needed to maintain, troubleshoot and repair automation systems and components. While the program is geared primarily toward the industrial automation market, the principles taught can apply to maintenance in nearly any industry.
Program Structure
The program is made up of multiple levels, which grow in complexity with each successive level. The lower two levels provide the foundation on which modern industrial maintenance rests: Maintenance Basics and Industrial Mechanics, which form the bottom or Green Level, and Industrial Electricity and Industrial Fluid Power, which form the Yellow Level. Maintenance personnel can often run across the need to perform machining and welding operations to repair a piece of machinery. Thus the White Level, the third in the sequence, provides Basic Machining and Basic Welding training. The fourth level, Red, begins the advanced training in automation and consists of Industrial Controls and Programmable Logic Controllers. The top level, Blue, builds on all others and provides in-depth training in Automation Systems and Robotics and Motion Control.
The green, yellow and white levels have two topic certificates each. Upon successful completion of the courses in a certificate area, the student earns a certificate in that level and topic. For instance, completion of the Industrial Mechanics courses earns a Green Industrial Mechanics certificate. The red and blue levels have one topic each. The student must complete all of the courses in these levels in order to earn the appropriate red or blue certificate.
Course Overview
- The Green Maintenance Fundamentals certificate consists of four courses: Professional Development, Math and Print Reading, Basic Safety, and Maintenance Basics. Maintenance Basics covers maintenance concepts, troubleshooting, mechanical and electrical safety and rigging.
- The Green Industrial Mechanics certificate consists of two courses: Measurement and Materials and Mechanical Systems.
- The Yellow Industrial Electricity certificate consists of two courses: Basic Electricity and Motors and Motor Controls.
- The Yellow Industrial Fluid Power certificate consists one course, Pneumatics and Hydraulics.
- The White Basic Machining and Basic Welding certificates consist of one course each in the topic area.
- The Red Industrial Controls and PLCs certificate consists of two courses: Control Systems and Programmable Logic Controllers.
- The Blue Automation Systems certificate consists of two courses: Automation Systems and Robotics and Motion Control. The motion control topics include variable frequency drives and servo motion control.
- The average number of hours required to complete certificates and levels are shown in the figure above. There are a total of 616 hours, on average, for the complete program. Total course and lab hours are essentially even: 312 hours for content and 304 hours for labs.
Program Summary
| LEVEL |
CERTIFICATE |
CLASS HOURS |
LAB HOURS |
| Green |
Maintenance Fundamentals |
70 |
14 |
| Green |
Industrial Mechanics |
28 |
38 |
| Yellow |
Industrial Electricity |
36 |
38 |
| Yellow |
Industrial Fluid Power |
30 |
20 |
| White |
Basic Machining |
42 |
24 |
| White |
Basic Welding |
30 |
18 |
| Red |
Industrial Controls and PLCs |
38 |
56 |
| Blue |
Automation Systems |
38 |
96 |
| Totals |
|
312 |
304 |
Training Delivery
SkillsTrac training consists of course content, taught mostly in an online format, and hands-on validation lab content, taught in an advanced training lab. There are also some instances in the program where an instructor leads the training in a traditional format. The online classes serve as the instructor and textbook for the basic course material. Tooling University, a SkillsTrac training partner, offers the online courses asynchronously. Students enroll at their local school, which assigns them seats in the online system. They can begin taking the online courses immediately.
Equivalent training labs are set up at the various schools. After students have completed a certain number of online courses, they request time in the lab at their local school to work on the validation lab content. Lab exercises typically take from four to eight hours to complete. Depending on the student’s ability and the complexity of the lab exercise, they can take a little as two hours and as many as sixteen hours to complete.
Generally speaking, there is more course content at the lower levels of the program than lab content. The opposite is true at the upper levels, in particular the Red and Blue levels, where the hands-on validation in controls and automation is especially important for a skilled maintenance technician.
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