Residential Maintenance Career Management Article. - Career Guide
Residential Maintenance to Industrial Maintenance
By Don Fitchett - Business Industrial Network (BIN95.com)
As a career and occupational choice, residential maintenance persons should keep the much higher paying Industrial Maintenance career options open. For some, there could be a lot of additional training required to cross over from Residential Maintenance to Industrial Maintenance. Maintenance training certificates can beef up your maintenance resume to give you an edge. But on the bright side, the industry is starving for PLC technicians and/or maintenance electricians.
The more automated our industry becomes, the quicker the demand rate will grow. Even more so, coupled with the fact that baby boomers are retiring. Nobody is sure exactly how the recession will affect the Industrial Maintenance job field yet, but the job market for Industrial Maintenance positions will always be a great choice.
The topics you will need to study to cross over to an Industrial Maintenance career will also open up other non-industrial related career opportunities. For example, PLCs control most remote pump stations and water works equipment in every town and city in the USA. And they say working for the state with all its benefits, is looking pretty good during these current unstable economic times.
Next step, make a plan:
So you have made the choice to prepare for an Industrial Maintenance career. What training should you get first that can open the door the quickest for an Industrial Maintenance career?
Career Direction:
Your job interviewer may not give much experience credit for mechanical work on industrial equipment with a Residential Maintenance work history, but electrical experience is a much more transferable job skill for Industrial Maintenance. If your previous Residential Maintenance job required you to maintain a state electrical license, the interviewer could see it as Industrial Maintenance Electrician experience. (Because unlike the variables involved in mechanical tasks, electrical tasks are standardized. For example, to install a breaker is the same skill and method in both the Residential Maintenance electrician job and the Industrial Maintenance electrician job.
There are many topics an Industrial Maintenance person is and/or need to be trained on. As technology increases, so do the training needs for an Industrial Maintenance person. What you need to know is which of those skills are most sought after by those hiring. We’ve established somewhat that Industrial Maintenance Electrician is a good choice, but what area within that broad field and various industries is the most demanded skill set? I would say that would be the PLC troubleshooting skill.
Career Training:
Quick career training can make a maintenance persons resume better. A prerequisite to being an Industrial Maintenance PLC Technician is often considered being a Basic Electrician. (We don't call it a rule at BIN because we have trained many Maintenance Mechanics with a little electrical knowledge to troubleshoot using a PLC. :>) So, at a minimum, the non-state licensed Residential Maintenance person should seek Industrial Electrician Training before PLC training. It would be smart for the Licensed Electrician to take some Industrial Electrician courses too, but if time is of the essence, the electrician may want to get PLC Troubleshooting training first. For example, if currently looking for a job, the licensed electrician with a certificate of PLC training in hand can be looking while taking Industrial Electrician courses to improve hiring possibilities and skill level.
There are many various skill levels for a maintenance persons resume out there. If you are a residential maintenance person who is not sure if you have a required skill or need a refresher; Take the free online assessments found at http://www.bin95.com/Employee-Training-Assessments/Industrial_Training.php
For the Employer, if PLC knowledge is a requirement for new hires, then pre-qualifying them is essential for the future growth of your business. Check out the above "on line" PLC assessments for a FREE pre-employment test.
Residental Maintenance - Industrial Electrical Training - PLC Training - Industrial Maintenance Person
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About Business Industrial Network (Video)
Business Industrial Network's (BIN95.com) core business is delivering world class on-site engineering and maintenance training. With over 150 facilities for local training, Business Industrial Network delivers off-site maintenance training in major cities across the United States. Working closely with their partners, Business Industrial Network offers a comprehensive suite of maintenance, management, mechanical and electrical training solutions and software.
