1/7/2013 5:07:00 PM
HEADLINES
FTI’s Wachman: Web-Based Training In The Works
No business survived the Great Recession without a laser focus on reducing costs.
But some cuts are wiser than others. Case in point: workforce training.
When Fastener Training Institute director John Wachman promotes training, his pitch to potential clients is simple and direct.
“What does it cost you if one of your people makes a mistake?”
Turns out that pitch is also very effective.
Reached by phone at the office of his manufacturers’ rep firm, Desert Distribution, Wachman said between 700-800 students will participate this year — nearly double the students in 2012.
“It’s going to be a real busy year for us this year,” Wachman told FIN.
The Certified Fastener Specialist advanced technical training program was created in 1998.
To receive the CFS designation, students must complete seven full-day training programs and pass an exam. More than 800 students have participated in the program since its inception, and over 300 of them have graduated, according to FTI’s website.
But that program is only one component of training offered by the FTI, which operates as a division of Pacific-West Fastener Association.
Wachman said demand is growing for automotive and aerospace fastener classes. In 2013 FTI will offer two automotive fastener training sessions, along with two new courses developed in collaboration with the Industrial Fasteners Institute: Aerospace Fastener Technology and Understanding Hydrogen Embrittlement in Fasteners.
Much the program’s success can be attributed to its instructors. Instructors include Bengt Blendulf of EduPro U.S. Inc., Salim Brahimi of IBECA Technologies Corp., Joe Greenslade, Director of Engineering Technology for IFI, and Carmen Vertullo of CarVer Engineering.
But Wachman told FIN there is also growing demand for “canned” online programs. He said Pac-West is looking to invest in web-based training that could reach new segments of industry by reducing travel costs and increasing accessibility.
And while the majority of students are employed by fastener distributors, other industries are starting to take notice of FTI’s valuable training.
Wachman said the program has been utilized by Japanese technicians in the nuclear field, aerospace distributors and even a technical guy from Boeing.
FTI is also attracting OEM engineers responsible for fastener applications.
“When I was a young man every fastener manufacturer had field sales people with training on how fasteners are used,” Wachman told FIN. “That responsibility has now fallen on the distributor and the product OEM.”
Because of this, more OEMs are beginning to think about fasteners early in their design process instead of during production, which is welcome news for FTI.
“We’re not even beginning to skim the surface of (the market),” Wachman said. “Everybody uses fasteners. Bicycles, airplanes — everything.” Web: FastenerTraining.org ©2013 GlobalFastenerNews.com
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