Arc 2011 Conference Rev 2

February 10, 2011

Workforce Development

the Automation Competency Model as the catalyst

Steve Pflantz, P.E., AssociateCRB Consulting Engineers, Inc.Vice President elect – ISA Professional Development DepartmentChair – AF Membership Committee

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Session Objectives

• What is the Automation Competency Model (ACM)• Creation of the Model• The Future• Who Benefits• CRB Case Study• DOW Chemical Case Study

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Competencies and Competency Models

• A competency is the capability to apply a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform “critical work functions” in a work setting– Required for success– Criteria for metrics– Basis for skill standards

• Competency Models are collections of competencies that collectively define successful performance in a defined work setting

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Why Did AF Develop the ACM?

• A little history:– ISA, the founding member of AF, discovered among their

members that automation, a very broad profession, could not be easily defined!

– “The creation and application of technology to monitor and control the production of goods & services…” Great for cocktail party conversation, but bad for promoting a profession!

– How could AF, the “Voice of Automation”, advocate for a profession in which there is no universally accepted definition?

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Why Did AF Develop the ACM?

• A look at the Present and to the Future– Practicing Automation Professionals primarily reached their

positions, training, and experience by accident– Many are approaching retirement age and the workforce

cannot replace them– Other than Technical College programs, there is no direct

path to this profession– This profession is essential to the success of American

manufacturing in the global market

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Enter ETA

• 2007 Meeting at DOL to advocate for automation:– Advanced Manufacturing Competency Model Framework– Discussed agreement to partner with ETA to create an

automation competency model using the framework philosophy

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Creating the ACM

• AF Chairman commissions author of “A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge” to produce a straw man model by populating the ETA advanced mfg CM framework.– Worked with ETA personnel to understand the meaning of

the tiers and the meaning of terms – Basis heavily rooted in ISA CCST and CAP certifications

• AF Chairman works with ISA & AF volunteers and staff to compile a list of subject matter experts covering all the competencies projected as relevant

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Creating the ACM

• Arranged a face to face meeting of subject matter experts to be volunteer led but facilitated by ETA personnel.– Establish ground rules, philosophy, terms, desired result– Hear all viewpoints, drive to a conclusion– Challenge the straw man– Do not try to complete the entire model in one meeting. Two

additional meetings were required.– Participants varied somewhat per meeting

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Navigating the Automation Competency Model• General to Highly Focused Tier Structure

– 1- Personal effectiveness– 2- Academic– 3- Workplace– 4- Industry-wide technical– 5- Industry-sector technical– 6 through 9 Specialization within specific occupations

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The Result: ACM and 6 Occupation Descriptions for Automation Professionals

http://www.careeronestop.org/CompetencyModel/

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Creating the ACM• Three meetings to complete the ACM

– Living Document– Annual updates

– 3-year critical reviews

– Tested the model with several highly regarded Automation Professionals in their work environment

• ETA Rollout Web Seminars were conducted to institutions around the country

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How the ACM development team and AF saw it being used.• Automation Career Definition• Automation Curriculum Development Tool• Automation Career Selection Guide• Automation Competency Assessment• Automation Career Professional Development Guide

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Managing Automation PM100 Award Winner 2009 and 2010

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What lies ahead for the ACM?

• ACM now exists to provide more opportunities to be a catalyst for program development to help educators, industry, technical societies, workforce investment boards, governments and their agencies, and guidance counselors lead students toward lucrative and relevant automation careers!

• In short, ACM has been and will continue to be….

the gift that keeps on giving!

February 10, 2011

Workforce Development

Who Benefits from the Automation Competency

Model

Dean Ford, CAPMaryland/DC Business Unit ManagerWunderlich-Malec Engineering.Chair – AF Communications Committee

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Session Objectives

• What is the Automation Competency Model (ACM)• Creation of the Model• The Future• Who Benefits• CRB Case Study• DOW Chemical Case Study

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Who Benefits from the ACM?

• Overall lack of understanding of what Manufacturing is and its needs– Public, Government, Academia, Industry

• The Automation Competency Model provides a building block for discussions and education of Manufacturing needs– Common need across all industries

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Who Benefits from the ACM?

• Individuals - Students and Their Parents– Clear articulation of employer expectations for skills,

knowledge and character in the chosen endeavor– Planning for education, internships, and work experience to

build skills needed– Explore career options within the profession

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Examples

• Career Days– Hosting Career Days for High school and College Students

– 2009 – North Carolina Colleges

– 2010 – Lee College

• Working with groups involved to improve Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) education

• Alliance with FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)

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Who Benefits from the ACM?

• Individuals - Workers– Charts a path to the vast Automation Career– Identifies the skills required to move into other roles or

strengthen existing position– Guide professional development efforts– Reference of standards, certifications, and practices

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Who Benefits from the ACM?

• Individuals - Veterans– Mapping of existing Military Occupational Codes into the

model– Identifies gaps in the skills already achieved through military

experience and training– Charts a path to the vast Automation Career– Guide professional development efforts– Reference of standards, certifications, and practices

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Examples

• 5-Clicks Program– Working with US Department of Veterans Affairs and US

Department of Labor, and ISA Sections– Web program for veterans to identify job openings, mentors

and training

• Obtaining US Department of Veterans Affairs Facility Code to provide formal training to veterans

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Who Benefits from the ACM?

• Business and Industry– Clear statement of workforce needs– Requirements for success at all levels– Skill gap analysis– Provides metrics in performance reviews– Guide professional development efforts– Reference of standards, certifications, and practices

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Who Benefits from the ACM?

• Educators and Training Providers– Guide for skilled worker curriculum development– Clearly articulates the competencies required for a very

broad profession– As an evergreen document, provides guidance for course

adjustments reflecting emerging and declining skill requirements, reviewed by professionals

– I.D. competencies in highest demand– I.D. and develop situational training courses

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Examples

• American Association for Community Colleges

– Program Development with Cleveland Community College – Automation Center of Excellence

– Introduction of the ACM to community colleges across the country

• Durham Public Schools– Development of high school level Automation Curriculum

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Who Benefits from the ACM?

• Professional Societies: ISA, AF & Individual AF Member Organizations– Provides a detailed definition for the broad profession of

automation– Facilitates development of programs related to the

profession– Certifications, technical and professional certifications, P.E.

licensing, publications, and training

– As a valuable tool to work with or partner with stakeholders to advance automation as a workforce development endeavor

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Examples

• ISA creation of the Education Division• ISA Professional Development Department

– Workforce Development Committee

• AF Workforce Education Committee• Certified Automation Professional (CAP)• Certified Control System Technician (CCST)• Control System Engineer (CSE)

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Who Benefits from the ACM?

• Governments and Their Agencies– To provide standardized job descriptions– To identify the role of automation in policymaking– To identify skills needed and the people trained for industrial

cybersecurity, safety systems, & other specialties relevant to national security

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Examples

US-European Union Roundtable Discussion on Economic Recovery–Skills for Growth and Jobs in the Economic Recovery and Beyond

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How the ACM is used• CRB Consulting Engineers, Inc.:

Control Systems Engineer occupation description used as a technical assessment and goal planning tool for staff. – Staff uses the description

document with a column added to indicate level of competence.

– Supervisor/Mentor reviews this with the employee during annual review and goal planning.

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Thank you! For further information or requests for assistance, contact:• Michael Marlowe, Automation Federation,

(919) 314-3937

[email protected]