Tech Training Help

Jim Busby jim_busby@byu.edu
Thu, 1 Apr 2004 13:20:41 -0700


Hi Richard,

We TRY to commit them to 3-4 years. Then, just maybe we'll get 2-3
years. 

As far as not being productive the first year goes, I think Keith was
referring to only using them 4 hours per week. In my experience they
need to be "on the job" for 10-20 hours each week to really become
productive and begin to be worthwhile. We had some students do 3-4
hours, and by the time they came back next week they had forgotten how
to do some things. Also, the sheer number of hours required to really
learn "the business" can't be done with 4 hour per week IMHO. Of course,
you can make them productive immediately if all they do is menial work,
but Keith was talking about being able to perform tech duties beyond
that. 

Hope that clarifies it a bit. We're still learning!

Regards,
Jim Busby BYU


-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of
Richard West
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 9:34 AM
To: College and University Technicians
Subject: Re: Tech Training Help

Keith, Avery and All,

I think tech training at universities is a great idea.  I've done a 
little here, but it has been disorganized and haphazard.  It seems like 
some of you are trying to actually do it right and it would be great for

our profession if this were available in more universities.  It also 
should be something a university would benefit from because universities

are used to slave labor/apprentices also known as grad students.  

Keith, I'm surprised that it takes 1 year to get any benefit.  I will 
say that the times that I've had help, I've thought it takes as much of 
my time to train them to do a task as it would take to do the task 
myself, so you might be right.  It makes me wonder how long it really 
takes to learn this profession. I think it may be unrealistic to ask a 
student to commit to a 4 year course, 2 years seems more workable to 
prevent dropouts.  Has anyone ever tried using Randy Potter's course in 
conjuntion with a university tech training?    

Richard West, University of Nebraska

Keith Kopp wrote:

>Avery, 
>Here at Brigham Young University we both now have an informal program
>with no credit given and also now have a history of a formal credit
>program that has been dropped.  I will address some administrative
things
>to look out for and let Jim address the training challenges. This could
>actually be a very in depth study. There most likely should be a
chapter
>in a CAUT handbook on this subject. main reason the formal program was
done away with is the competition you are training for other technicians
in the area. In the past as well as now we have had students leave the
program before they are fully trained. They then go to work in the
private sector and start making four times as much as then would make in
a work study program. We train them and before they are an asset to our
program we are left high and dry. The private sector then has half
trained tuners who say they have been university trained. We are
committing new students HARD to basically a four year program. This is
basically how we see a successful program work. First year they are
trained at no charge and they receive no reimbursement. You mentioned
that you would have four hours help. Our experience is you will not
receive help. You will train them for four hours. They will not be a
real help for the first year. I think Jim will say it cost you four
hours. Second y!
ear they are hired at somewhere between 10 and 15 hours week. It is only
then that you be able to get some help from them without being right
there with them at every step. They receive more training. In return
they are paid a little more than minimum wages. We are current working
our detail to have a third year at higher wages and a fourth year when
they would finally get a healthy wage and finally be worth the time we
will have invested in them. We like to start freshmen. We are also
looking into ways to keep them from leaving before completion. We feel a
need to design a program so that they will be RPTs by the fourth year.
There is a waiting list of students who desire to enter this type of
program. We have been approached by at least eight students in the past
two years. I would like to write in more detail but do not have time
now. This might be an interest discussion at annual convention at a CAUT
get together. Keith
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of
>Avery Todd
>Sent: Friday, March 26, 2004 9:33 AM
>To: College and University Technicians
>Subject: Tech Training Help
>
>List,
>
>I recently had a grad student come to me and ask about learning to
>do piano work as a TA or Work Study. To make a long story short, it's
>been approved and he'll probably be starting some time next week.
>He's a composition major and also a pianist and is a TA already, so
>they're just transferring 4 hours a week to me. I know it's not much
>but it's 4 hours help I've never had before and at least it's a step
>in the right direction!
>
>Since I've never really trained anyone from scratch, can someone
>who maybe has, give me any ideas about the best way to go about
>it? I figured probably mostly shop type work in the beginning and
>later, start him learning to tune. I'm going to try and get the
>Reblitz book to at least give him something to study and learn a
>few things that way. Any suggestions to make this work smoothly
>and be beneficial to him as well as me, would be greatly
>appreciated. Thanks.
>
>Avery
>________________________________
>Avery Todd, RPT
>University of Houston
>Houston, TX
>
>
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>
>  
>


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