Personnel qualification as an indispensable part of modern technology transfer

New developments thrive on research and development, i.e. on the generation of new knowledge. New knowledge is not an end in itself. New knowledge must find its way into application in order to be economically viable. To do this, it must be transferred from research and development to the manufacturing companies in industry and handicrafts. With its further training offers, the Fraunhofer IFAM is working to simplify this process. Successful and long-term technology transfer is only possible through the qualification of company personnel and the structuring of the organization of company production processes.

What is technology transfer and what role does the qualification of company personnel play?

In principle, technology transfer describes the transfer of know-how between two parties: research and development, in which new knowledge is generated, and industrial application, in which this new knowledge is to be utilized. However, there is no causal relationship between the two areas – knowledge generation and knowledge utilization. This must first be established. The Fraunhofer IFAM has built this bridge for adhesive bonding technology and fiber composite technology and further developed technology transfer as a link between research and development and application-related utilization – as a »door opener«, so to speak, that paves the way for new knowledge to be put into practice.

In order for companies to be able to utilise new knowledge in a cost-effective and long-term manner, two conditions must be met: they must have a sufficient number of qualified personnel to implement the new knowledge, and they must have the organizational capacity to organize their processes for the economic utilization of the newly acquired knowledge. Qualified personnel alone are not enough if the company does not adapt its processes. Adapting processes when personnel lack the technological qualification to implement the knowledge is also insufficient. One requires the other. This is achieved for adhesive bonding technology and fiber composite technology primarily with the help of standards and regulations. See quality assurance standards for adhesive bonding technology and fiber composite technology. à neuer Link englisch Technology transfer can only be successful and sustainable if both essential instruments of technology transfer – qualified personnel and organizational capacity – are in place. This is precisely where the Fraunhofer IFAM comes in with its training courses.

Development of the qualification program at the Fraunhofer IFAM

There are a number of points to be considered when training employees: The training system must be of interest to companies, both in terms of the significant advantages to be expected for themselves compared to other competitors and in terms of the fundamental decision to qualify. In addition, the system must have clear unique selling points, provide a noticeable added value for companies and fulfill any existing regulations. The Fraunhofer IFAM has been taking all these points and more into account for more than 30 years, when it developed its training program in the field of adhesive bonding technology (www.bremen-bonding.com) and later for fiber composite technology (www.bremen-composites.com). The result was a system that provides cross-hierarchical certifying training for different levels of application in the company: courses for the executive level, for the level with (an) instructional function and for the technical decision-maker level. Only in this way can the content be aligned with the level of knowledge, work experience and daily work of the participants. Certification according to DIN EN ISO 17024, product independence and the recognition of the training by an accredited personal certification body are key features that meet the requirements of a qualification system. Features that ensure a continuously increasing number of participants and successfully implemented collaborations with industrial companies (www.weiterbildung.ifam.fraunhofer.de/de/blog/30-jahre-kleben-in-bremen.html ) . à neuer Link (englisch)

Knowledge generator = knowledge provider

The examples show that structured, product-neutral, cross-industry, and superordinate, and at the same time personal certifying Workforce Qualification could be further developed into an essential instrument of technology transfer. Knowledge transfer is technology transfer!

As a research institute, the Fraunhofer IFAM is primarily a generator of knowledge. Between the knowledge generation and the knowledge utilization in the executing company, there is usually an external knowledge provider who does not generate knowledge himself, but rather purchases it from an external source and merely passes it on. In order to bypass this detour via external trainers, who can only pass on content to companies indirectly, with losses and delays, the Fraunhofer IFAM itself is becoming a knowledge provider through further training as an integral part of the institute's tasks. In this way, knowledge generation and knowledge transfer are optimally linked and companies receive the new knowledge directly and promptly from the institute's experts – the place where knowledge is generated.