| dc.description.abstract | Maintenance can be a contributing factor to unwanted events, as well as desired events and states. Human competence can be defined as the ability to perform a specific task, action or function successfully, and is therefore a key factor to proper execution of maintenance tasks. Hence,maintenance will have negative consequences if done wrong, and give positive results when done right. The purpose of this report is to study the many aspects of maintenance competence.
Endeavoring to improve maintenance competence, The European Federation of National Maintenance Societies (EFNMS) has initiated the project “VocTrainMaint”. The objective of this project is to improve qualifications and employ ability of maintenance personnel. They aim to do soby developing suitable curriculum and guidelines for training materials in vocational education and training systems.
The author, in collaboration with the Norwegian Maintenance Organization (NFV), is taking part in this project by developing and emitting a survey to map maintenance competence in Norwegian industry. The survey is based on minimum competence requirements given by EFNMS. Different requirements are specified for maintenance technicians, supervisors and managers. Prioritized by importance, the requirements are divided into three categories: “Very good knowledge”, “Good knowledge” and “Understanding”. The results from the survey show that the majority of Norwegian maintenance personnel place their knowledge slightly above average on most questions. However, some areas of knowledge were rated below average. Among these we find: - Radio Frequency Identification
- Preliminary Hazard Analysis
- Toyota Production Systems
- Lean manufacturing
- Asset Maintenance Management
- Maintenance Software systems
- Pit Stop Maintenance
- Total Productive Maintenance
- Awareness of negative contribution of poor maintenance to safety
- Individuals’ contribution to better safety
Although only a few improvement areas were emphasized in this presentation, the author believes there is an improvement potential in all subjects when aiming to reach World Class Maintenance.Consequently, there is a need of maintenance education, training, and an evaluation system that ensures this competence.
The author has performed a web-search to map maintenance education in Norway, Europe and throughout the rest of the world. Considering the many limitations related to this search, it would not be righteous to make a concluding statement about whether the offer of maintenance education in the represented countries is satisfactory. However, it is tempting to draw attention to the industry’s increasing demand of maintenance expertise, and to allege that the education that is offered is not sufficient to meet this demand.
With the intention of increasing the quality of maintenance competence in Norwegian industry,there is an aspiration to develop and ensure the quality of the curriculum. The proposed curriculumis based on EFNMS requirements and the competence gap revealed in the survey. As the survey reveals a lack of adequate study material, it is suggested to develop new academic textbooks: A practical Norwegian textbook supplemented by a workbook, directed against high school studentsand technicians, and an additional textbook for maintenance managers and higher education students. When developing the curriculum, the aim is to form suitable goals for three levels of education; high school, higher education and post training. This is essential when the evaluation process involves measuring competence with respect to learning objectives.
Further on, the report approaches the importance of evaluation and attempts to find the most valid evaluation methods. Evaluation of maintenance competence calls for a delicate balance between formative-, summative- and self-assessment of both practical and theoretical skills.
To ensure future competence, a long-term improvement process of road mapping can escort Norwegian industry to the destination of World Class Maintenance. The key questions to consider when developing a roadmap are: “Where are you now?” and “Where do you want to go?” | nb_NO |