Distance mechatronics and Alternative Technologies training for practicing engineers and technicians

Maintaining an educated, high-performance workforce in the today's world of fast changing technology is a daunting task, especially in the electro-mechanical and mechatronics field. Traditional practice in the enterprises is to provide training/retraining to their employees by means of the conventional in-company training. Such training usually doesn't use the advantages of the communications technology and distance learning and doesn't accommodate different learning styles and individual needs of the practicing engineers and technicians. E-PRAGMATIC network (E-Learning and Practical Training of Mechatronics and Alternative Technologies in Industrial Community) unites 17 partners from seven European countries in a common effort to modernize mechatronics vocational training of the professionals, apprentices and trainees. Modern educational approaches and distance learning modules with remote access to the working stations will be integrated in the in-company training of network's industrial partners. The training will be prepared by the educational partners and carefully balanced to meet the concrete needs of the enterprises. Based on the experience, the education methods for organizing and executing in-company training on distance will be developed. This contribution presents the network and the results of the extensive empirical knowledge and skills needs study of the professionals employed in the E-PRAGMATIC network's industrial members. Based on the study's results, about 20 learning modules will be implemented. As an example, two E-PRAGMATIC modules are described: (1) Engineering software: Introduction to LabVIEW, (2) Data acquisition and signal processing module.