Additive manufacturing qualification enters the mainstream of Europe's industrial renaissance

PORTO SALVO, Portugal - May 14, 2018 - PRLog -- Demand for additive manufacturing and related services has increased in the last years and is expected to do so in the next ones. Its market volume was US$1.5b in 2011, having grown up to US$4.2b in 2015 with an annual growth rate of 28%. It is expected, based on historical data and analyst consensus, that in 2020 the market volume reaches US$12.1b (with an annual growth rate of 25% between 2016 and 2020).

Europe is firmly committed to position itself at the leading edge of Manufacturing innovation, as the industry is considered one of the drivers that will provide the foundation for sustainable economic growth, competitiveness and long-term jobs in the region. Within the new technologies that are reshaping the industry, additive manufacturing stands out. Challenges remain that need to be addressed, among them qualified professionals capable of taking advantage of this technology.

The CLLAIM project addresses the current qualifications shortcomings by creating a European Additive Manufacturing qualification body and designing a European harmonised qualification system and particular qualifications matching market requirements. The training, developed as part of the project, will allow for approximately 40 trainees from the partner countries to attain qualifications recognised in Europe, with enhanced mobility potential, lifelong learning and easy adjustment to markets with European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) points (credits). These points can be transferred to other professions, assuring transparency of qualifications in all Europe and flexibility of professionals to embrace other tasks/professions, namely in manufacturing.

Although available since the 1980s, this technology has only become widely adopted in the past decade, as it has become easier to deploy and new products and services have come to the market, highlighting new possibilities for a wide range of industries. Due to its fast growth and breadth of potential uses, additive manufacture job positions are very hard to fill with current training and increase the shortage of qualified workers that can meet the expected high levels of demand for high-performance products. This new project comes at a special juncture in time, once the European Union "Europe 2020" strategy has targeted employment, research and development, environment and education as main propellers for a sustainable and smart growth. The CLLAIM project meets most of these priority areas in different settings, especially on environmental / sustainability and education.

The qualification system will embed several brand-new profiles (European AM operator, European AM designer, European AM specialist and inspector) that fit the requirements of the industry and apply the EQF (European Qualifications Framework) and ECVET (European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training) methodologies. For that, it is mandatory to design new training curricula and assessment tools, as well as introducing innovative training approaches, allowing experiential learning and the recognition of work-based learning (award of prior learning, recognition of current experience at the workplace).

With the aim to bridge the gap between job offers and job seekers in the professions related to AM, the consortium wants to develop this project by identifying the skills needs in Europe. According to those needs, for the AM sector will be designed a EU sector-specific curricula based in the Learning Outcomes (LOs) approach, develop a European harmonised scheme for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and work-based recognition at the workplace. The developed professional profiles will ensure that learners can
receive formal recognition to the knowledge and skills which people already possess, as a route to new employment, increase the number of people with formal qualifications and reduce training time by avoiding repetition of what candidates already know.

The project aims to respond to the manufacturing companies, and metal companies needing to have qualified workforce. CLLAIM is mainly addressing the VET providers focused on training in the manufacturing sector, teachers and trainers, trainees, professionals interested in seeing their competences and skills assessed, decision-makers of educational policies at local, national and European levels.

PROJECT CONSORTIUM
The project consortium is constituted by organisations directly involved in the fields of VET, mainly addressing the industrial sector and industrial partners. Geographically, they cover different European regions and different industrial sectors; all of the partners have expertise in Additive Manufacturing
technology.

CLLAIM consortium is composed of 8 organisations from 4 EU countries as it follows LZH –Laser Akademie GmbH, PRODINTEC, Lloyd's Register, Fraunhofer IWU, DVS – German Welding Society, TWI – The Welding
Institute, EWF – European Federation for Welding Joining and Cutting and CESOL - Asociación Española de soldadura y tecnologias de unión. The latest organisation is the coordinator of the project.

http://cllaimprojectam.eu/