NPL measurement skills training scheme wins accolade

NPL, the UK's national measurement institute, received the Best Training Scheme Award in recognition of the measurement training programme it has developed. Companies to benefit from the training programme include Rolls-Royce, Airbus and Hexagon Metrology, and more than 650 learners completed NPL Training in 2011. NPL's training programme addresses a fundamental skills gap in the market – understanding basic principles. Today, most modern working environments make use of automated processes and equipment to take measurements for quality control and assurance but these still need an operator to plan the measurement, ensure its appropriateness and accuracy and then make use of the data provided. NPL's training programme consists of a range of modules to address this skills gap. The modules cover four levels, aimed at the manufacturing engineering community and quality and inspection professionals. It begins with the Foundation Level that addresses the underpinning principles and methods of measurement and progresses up to Level 4 - the level of 'metrology professional'. The training covers diverse topics such as measurement principles, measurement methods, geometric product specification, process control, geometric tolerancing and portable co-ordinate measurement systems. Keith Bevan, product development manager for Training at NPL, said: "The value of understanding measurement processes and the required behaviours, not just using measuring equipment, is at the heart of NPL's training courses. The primary objective of our training is to encourage learners to make a difference within their workplaces, giving them the opportunity to generate a return on investment for their employer whilst also improving corporate measurement capability. We help them to give something back, and are delighted to see this be officially recognised by the MTA." The NPL Training Programme began in 2007, now covers eight modules, and is recognised within the Qualification Credit Framework so modules count towards other qualifications or CPD (Continuing Professional Development). NPL is an EAL Centre offering nationally recognised qualifications in metrology and is now validated by the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing. Image: The NPL training team and some of its training partners at the MTA Awards held in Birmingham