Gene Fedors Vice President, Education Programs RFID Technical ...

RTI : QUALITY, RELEVANCE AND PROFICIENCY IN RFID EDUCATION
The task of efficiently learning a new
technology and effectively
incorporating that knowledge into
one’s job can be a time consuming
and cumbersome process if
undertaken in a traditional, ad hoc
manner. Too often the common
approach to developing technology
mastery involves an informal process
of reading articles, reviewing white
papers, sitting through vendor
presentations and attending a series
of seminars that aim to “pull all the
pieces together”. In the end we
inevitably ask ourselves, “do I have
everything I need, is there any critical
piece I’m missing?” No matter what
the answer, there invariably lingers in
the back of the mind some doubt
about knowing it all!
THE RFID EDUCATION CHALLENGE
Each successive generation of
information technology has challenged us as
users, integrators, vendors, educators, etc., to
get smarter faster and accelerate the
progression from learning, to seeing, to doing.
RFID technology has posed a particularly
arduous education hurdle as it involves mastery
of several disciplines and architectural
components to understand the whole solution
picture. While RFID may be a single term implying
a type of application or “point” solution, it is
much better characterized from a learning
perspective as a technology infrastructure (like
the internet) that gives rise to an endless array of
potential process improvements that lower cost,
improve productivity and/or create competitive
advantage. The extensive potential of RFID as an
enabling infrastructure that gives rise to all
manner of new organizational solutions,
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QUALITY, RELEVANCE
AND PROFICIENCY IN
RFID EDUCATION
euroRFID – your guide to RFID & GDS solutions
Gene Fedors
Vice President,
Education Programs
RFID Technical
Institute (RTI)
however, comes at a cost due to the
considerable need for comprehensive and
extensive worker education to develop sound
skill set proficiency.
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
The complex, but manageable, nature of
RFID requires mastery of several foundation skill
sets – not only technology focused, but also
business and organizational centric. These
requirements for a variety of foundation skills are
further complicated by the need for different
training profiles for each type of worker role in an
organization that is undertaking a unique RFID
initiative.
Training a systems engineer to install RFID
readers, antennas and network devices requires
a distinctly different education curriculum from a
software developer integrating RFID middleware
between network edge devices and enterprise
applications. The difference in education
program content for each job varies even more
as the project role shifts from a technical to a
business focus. Consider the work tasks of an
RFID business solutions planner. In this role an
emphasis on detailed systems content shifts to a
need for conceptual, functional and financial
content with training geared toward work
process improvement and project justification
skills development.
THE INDUSTRY VARIABLE IN RFID
EDUCATION
Past generations of technology-centric
education programs have taught us that
generic profiles of worker role and related skill
sets are, by themselves, not sufficient to develop
and deliver ideal training programs. A closer look
at how RFID solutions are being deployed across
various industries clearly
points to the need for a
training curriculum that
incorporates specializations
and application-specific
modules that have a unique,
industry-specific focus. For
example, required skills and
knowledge of RFID and
logistics in the cold supply
chain are distinct from those
in the typical warehouse-
distribution center-retailer
supply chain.. Therefore, to
facilitate the rapid bridging
from “learning” to “seeing” to
“doing”, an RFID training
curriculum must also offer
advanced courseware that
places fundamental
principles and practices in the context of industry
specific challenges, opportunities and solutions.
DRIVERS FOR AN RFID EDUCATION
REFERENCE MODEL
The scope and complexity of today’s RFID
education challenge requires a structured,
analytical approach to training programs
development. To meet this challenge for quality
training across worker roles and industry
specialties, the RFID Technical Institute (RTI) has
standardized its RFID training program design
and delivery based on a curriculum framework
first published by the International RFID Business
Association in the Spring of 2005. Known as the
RFIDba Educational Reference Model this
hierarchical curriculum map defines a framework
for a comprehensive, yet specialized, RFID
education program to ensure that unique worker
roles and industry-specific requirements for RFID
solutions are effectively addressed during the
RFID training process. The figure below illustrates
this framework for a selection of vertical
industries. At the RFID Technical Institute, we’ve
adopted this framework in our development of
industry-specific RFID education and training
programs for business and technology
professionals.
COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM FOR A
COMPLETE EDUCATION
The RFIDba Education Reference Model
shown below incorporates a layered approach
to learning and RFID knowledge development,
progressing from broad based essential
concepts and components to specialized skills
mastery in several required disciplines. This first
phase of learning modules, focused on acquiring
“basic RFID knowledge”, leads to advanced
courseware dedicated to building “functional
proficiency”. Training modules in this second
phase emphasize demos, labs and projects that
exercise understanding and develop “hands on”
execution competency.
THE RFIDBA EDUCATION
REFERENCE MODEL
Phase three training is dedicated to
“industry specialization”. The broader knowledge
skills from previous training sessions are put in
context of specific industry needs, challenges,
approaches and solutions. This program phase
equips the student to shift from participation in
RFID initiatives to driving or managing specific
project charters.
RTI collectively defines its approach and
layered curriculum structure for RFID education
as the “Quality, Relevance & Proficiency
Knowledge Transfer System”. The QRP System
is driven by RTI’s mission of producing education
programs of the highest quality, which are
directly relevant to the skills and knowledge
required in the workplace, in order for workers to
gain RFID proficiency in their industry.
MEASURING AND PROMOTING RFID
COMPETENCY
A training program designed according
to the RFIDba Education Reference Model, and
developed using the RFID Technical Institute’s
QRP System, provides a valuable roadmap for
individuals and organizations to navigate the
twisting and turning education highway. Primarily
focused on assuring quality of the RFID learning
experience, RTI’s education programs
www.rfidbusiness.org
increasingly incorporate
elements of proficiency testing
and mastery certification as
defined by the RFIDba
Education Reference Model.
The International RFID
Business Association (see
related article in this issue)
continues to conduct field
research under its mission of
developing guidelines and
standards for RFID education,
training and certification. Much
important work still needs to be
done in this area, not just for
“ e d g e - o f - t h e - n e t w o r k ”
technical worker skills and roles,
but across the whole RFID
component solution stack and
for all project “end-to-end” job types.
Pending the official release by the RFID
Business Association later this year of its
certification and testing program, RTI currently
incorporates proficiency testing within its classes
based on quality advisory guidelines established
by working committees of the RFIDba. In
addition, RTI courses are approved and adopted
by DeVry University’s Center for Corporate
Education (CCE). Under this relationship, not only
are RTI courses approved for quality and content
by a well-known, international university, but
students of RTI are eligible to receive Continuing
Education Units (CEUs) from DeVry University
CCE. In many corporate circles, CEUs are an
important distinction of quality and reliability for a
commercial training program.
THE NEXT WAVE IN RFID EDUCATION
RTI sees the full evolution of
comprehensive RFID open-standards based
testing and certification across all major job roles
and industry types unfolding over the next two
years. To accomplish this goal – with the end
point being universal testing and certification
programs – the industry must resolve the best
approach for defining comprehensive
education, training and certification standards.
A key factor in this undertaking will be the
research findings and published guidelines of the
RFID Business Association that provide broad,
end user requirements to define these standards
to best serve the education needs of the
individuals and organizations that will ultimately
make RFID a useful, practical and successful part
of our every day lives.
euroRFID – your guide to RFID & GDS solutions
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