The Automation Federation (AF) convened to perform the third critical review of the Automation Competency Model (ACM) since its inception in 2008.
A review team of automation experts convened in Research Triangle Park, N.C., to perform the third critical review of the Automation Competency Model (ACM). The Automation Federation (AF) was invited by the US Department of Labor (USDOL) in 2007 to be the first industry-related technical society to create a competency model using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) pyramid framework for advanced manufacturing. To this day, ACM remains one of the most downloaded models from the USDOL site.
Team leader Steve Huffman, AF Chairman of Government Relations and the driving force within AF behind the original creation of the model, remarked that this activity “was the best review of this important work yet thanks to the passion, attention to the details, respectful deliberation, and diversity of professional perspective in the way the team will view the application of the ACM finished product.”
This group consists of five professional engineers, three Certified Automation Professionals (CAP), two technology fellows, a doctoral degree holder, two senior educators, and four ISA Fellows. All team members expressed confidence the improvements made to the ACM are consistent with the latest trends in the automation industry.
The primary task remaining is for all automation professionals to utilize this model to improve their own skills and to gain recognition by all for the inherent value of automation for production safety, efficiency, and capacity. Also, as the opportunity arises, the plan also includes helping educational institutions realize the benefits of the model as a road map to effectively:
- Prepare the next generation of engineers and technicians to embrace careers in automation;
- Build a better path through the formal education process; establish improved job descriptions;
- Better engage young learners early in their education; and
- Connect with military veterans to map their existing skills into the profession.
Automation elevates the roles of all people involved in production, including design, operations, and maintenance by putting intelligence into action. Recognizing the potential benefits of the automation profession needs to start with parents, students, and teachers, and continue with professors, instructors and ultimately with plant and corporate managers.
Automation Federation (AF)
www.automationfederation.org
– Edited from an Automation Federation press release by CFE Media. See more Control Engineering workforce development stories.
