The project´s objectives are to develop four qualifications, validations and certifications in a common vocational staircase at the EQF level 4 - 7. This will be a unique collection, where all subjects are specified with measurable learning outcomes. Only in the areas welding and Non-destructive testing this have be done. All qualifications are open to use for training organizations, enterprises and governmental authorities. The validation questions for certification however will not be published for obvious reasons. The EFNMS training and certification committees will be responsible for updating the qualifications and validation. The project is a system for individual development and EFNMS certificate if the person passes the validation test. Three categories of certificate will be issued: - Maintenance managers (Updated with multiple choice questions) - Maintenance supervisors and engineers (New) - Maintenance technician specialist (Adapted to the new EU requirements) Eventually, later maintenance mechanics, electricians and automation electricians can be used after translation from Swedish to English as master language for use on Europe. More than 2 500 multiple choice questions are in production in Sweden. The system is ready for international use. All tests are open to use regardless of previous education. The validation will be a good way for older labour forces to update their documentation showing capabilities. The validation can also be used for mapping formal, non-formal and informal training. In which way the test taker has got the capability is not of interest in their work role. The marketing activities comprise: - Seminars and exhibitions - Brochures - Agreements for use of validation database - EFMNS meetings - Marketing activities - local and international One limitation in the dissemination process to all 23 EFNMS members is the regulation that activities must be carried out in partner’s country or in EU main centres. The dissemination activities start short after the project has started. A part of the market acceptance is related to political activities. These processes take long time to carry out. Public authorities take time to convince. Normally it will take three to five years. Therefore, the commercial market will be quicker to accept but without the support from the school system with adapted courses related to develop qualifications the implementation will go to slow. The marketing plan will be developed when the project has started. The connection with EFNMS 23 member countries needs time for introduction, forming adapted activities per country and international overview for cooperation partners. The most important group to influence is stakeholders such as HR-personnel, technical and maintenance personnel in the industry. Another important area to influence is education with vocational schools and universities. From this area it is difficult to have a quick response. The quickest way is to change in existing courses. Unfortunately, only a few universities in Europe have maintenance-oriented courses. The work in Europe in relation to Industry 4.0 has had a positive effect on modern production using automation and reliable maintenance. Production without costly stop and defect products will be the best way for Europe to be reindustrialized. High standard for personnel in maintenance are one tool in this process. This project is one important step in this process. If the industry can identify a cost-effective way to improve the manpower they will use it. The project members and EFNMS are involved in the development of Asset management following ISO 55000 family. Some of these activities are related to overall maintenance understanding in the complete process from early planning through investments, production, maintenance and scraping/settlement. Integrating with other major management systems will be done, including the ISO 9001 for quality management, ISO 14004 for environmental management, OHSAS 18000 for occupational health and safety and ISO 31000 for risk management. Adapting the project to earlier mentioned standards EN 13306, EN 15628, EN 17007, EN 13460 will unify the European work in maintenance.
The project has developed 4 qualifications that harmonize with current maintenance standards and also reflect future challenges. The older qualifications of maintenance staff, as set out in standard EN 15628, are not adapted to the vocational training system or related standards. The current EFNMS exam for maintenance managers at EQF level 7 is manual and requires correction that can become biased. Therefore, completely new modern questions have been developed adapted for IT systems with automatic correction. Everything is now web-based with a large database covering current levels. The developed EFNMS exam also includes economic, management and environmental topics as well as multi-technical requirements to cope with modern automation. The project has also developed an EFNMS exam for maintenance engineers/supervisors at EQF level 6. The EFNMS exam for maintenance managers and maintenance engineers is adapted to the new qualification structure. Web-based validation for EQF level 5 maintenance technicians has been in production since 2005 and is now integrated into the database. The goals of the project have been achieved: -We have a common qualification structure for the professional requirements of maintenance personnel with validation and training at EQF levels 4 to 7. -We have created a validation system that maps individual competences in relation to qualifications. - We have developed a summary of publications and standards that have been the basis for the work The project participants were members of the European Federation of National Maintenance Societies (EFNMS). The mix of different experiences and backgrounds added value to the results of the project. To unite the members of the EFNMS, it was crucial to implement this project transnationally within the Federation. The project was started with a benchmarking to map out what already existed. Based on this information, a qualification structure was developed based on 1. industry technology requirements, 2. requirements from early design of new resources, 3. modernization, 4. international standard, 5. EFNMS Body of Knowledge and 6. Sustainable Decommissioning. The entire lifecycle of maintenance is now included. Based on the developed qualifications, validation question was developed and quality assured. The questions were developed from the literature and specialist knowledge from the group and industry references. The literature and standards used were collected in a reference library with the aim of obtaining traceability and quality assurance of the developed question and to guide test takers and trainers to the right sources for studies in the field. In total, over 2,000 multiple choice questions were developed to check maintenance staff's knowledge as well as more than 400 open questions and complex multiple choice and case-based multiple-choice questions to control their skills for EQF levels 6 and 7. These were collected together with previous 3000 questions for EQF 4 and 5 in a web-based validation system, which is the basis of the validation tool. The main breakthrough with the project was that there is now a uniform qualification structure for all EQF levels 4 to 7 with common subject headings and associated validation with measurable learning outcomes. The qualifications are developed through interviews with specialists and teachers but also interviews with industry on future needs. This is the first time in Europe that this has been presented. This is unique as it breaks through traditional structures in technical education. Previous work for maintenance technicians was integrated with queries in 10 languages in the total database. These EQF 5 queries can now be used at all levels. Smart and cost-effective production, of which the maintenance function is central, will have a major impact on European industry. For the first time, there are common specifications. Skills development efforts are a prerequisite for increased competitiveness and new business opportunities. The target group for the project results is industrial companies, infrastructure, authorities, and others, as well as various training activities. Long-term success factors: - Employing companies will be able to analyze the skills of jobseekers. - Companies will have the opportunity to validate the knowledge of maintenance staff. - Training activities will be able to adapt training to the needs of the market and/or specific industries by applying a common system for determining the competence of professional maintenance roles where pre- and post-training training can be tested to optimize the effort. Validation and certification against European-wide qualifications creates an increased opportunity for maintenance staff to move across borders within Europe. School system development authorities have increased interest in developing new training plans and promoting the validation of professional maintenance staff.