[CAUT] Workload; was Position announcement

[Ed Sutton]

EUROPIANO is developing a three level "Degree" examination.
Level one seems approximately the equivalent of the RPT exams.
Levels two and three will be based on the German Journeyman and Master 
exams.
Two and three are "in preparation."
es


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Diane Hofstetter" <dianepianotuner at msn.com>
To: "Ed Sutton" <ed440 at mindspring.com>; "College and University Technicians" 
<caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2010 4:39 PM
Subject: RE: [CAUT] Workload; was Position announcement



Something I've learned since becoming a licensed hearing instrument 
speciaist, is that, to keep my license, I am required to obtain at least 15 
continuing education units per year.  This is beneficial to everybody 
concerned.

For years the PTG has been telling us that we need to keep government 
interference out of our profession.  I hadn't thought about what jeff said:

>No PTG designation will ever  make a hill of beans until 
>government>requires we obtain some sort of certification to practice our 
>trade.
>
> As for Klavierbauer, is that a private or government program?
>
> Jeff


However, I have realized that PTG conventions, seminars and monthly meetings 
would have much better attendance if piano technicians were required by the 
government to take a certain number of continuing educaion units to retain 
their licenses.  Also, non-PTG members would need to find ways to get their 
CEU's to keep their licenses--join the PTG?  It seems everyone would improve 
their skills.

As far as PTG's fear that the government would decide what the 
qualifications would consist of, it is general practice for the governments 
to get that info from the professional associations.  The govt. doesn't have 
the time or money to figure it all out.


Diane
Diane Hofstetter





________________________________
> From: ed440 at mindspring.com
> To: tannertuner at bellsouth.net; caut at ptg.org
> Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:00:40 -0400
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Workload; was Position announcement
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> As I understand it (and I could be wrong), piano
> technology in Germany is a licensed trade (like electricians in the
> US).
>
> Training and testing is done by a program funded
> and run by a mix of national schools and piano factories. Industry and
> government co-operate to train skilled workers. Pianos in factories are 
> built by
> Klavierbau Meisters, who are in effect independent contractors. Rates and
> standards for work are set by a union or guild. You may for at your own 
> pace. If
> the work is not up to standard, you must make it right. If you are not 
> licensed,
> you must work for someone who has a trade license. It seems to work well 
> in a
> small country. I have also know German tradesmen who have left the country 
> as
> they felt too hemmed in by the system. You must enter the trade as a young
> student. It is not a system that favors mid-life career change. Similar, I
> believe, in Japan. It's great if you can fit into the well-made
> box.
>
> Ed
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> From:
> tannertuner
>
> To: Ed Sutton ; caut at ptg.org
>
> Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2010 1:43
> PM
>
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Workload; was
> Position announcement
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> This is the attitude I've run into generally. It seems the faculty
> believe they know what to look for, and few see the RPT designation as
> any real assistance in that process, because a score of 80 and a score
> of 100 get you the same lapel pin, despite being miles
> apart in skill level. When they're looking for cheap, they know
> what the budget is and they look for cheap because they've been
> unable to increase the budget. I took over work at a small
> school for a tech who'd been charging them the same low price for 10
> years, and their $3500/year budget for 28 pianos which had been the
> same for years actually got cut this past year. All that extra
> stuff good techs do just eats away the insufficient
> budget. So, that's kind of what you get when the faculty
> manage the maintenance and you aren't really able to make
> recommendations and push the bar higher. You don't need to be an
> RPT, much less a CAUT endorsed tech, to do that.
>
>
>
> I've said before, it doesn't take an RPT to make a difference in
> most of the pianos at a school. And there are a lot of non-RPTs out
> there who do very high level work. No PTG designation will ever
> make a hill of beans until government requires we obtain some sort of
> certification to practice our trade.
>
>
>
> As for Klavierbauer, is that a private or government program?
>
> Jeff
>
> --- On Sat, 7/24/10, Ed Sutton
> wrote:
>
>
> From:
> Ed Sutton
> Subject: Re: [CAUT]
> Workload; was Position announcement
> To: caut at ptg.org
> Date:
> Saturday, July 24, 2010, 10:34 AM
>
>
>
>
>
> Sadly, it seems to me that most colleges
> want cheap, discount service. Look at the quality of truck maintenance
> in most state universities. I would not have my car serviced in the
> truck service department of the last school where I
> worked.
>
> Getting these schools to upgrade to RPT
> would be a real accomplishment.
>
>
>
> A few of the best schools want something
> more. Usually they know how to recognize it.
>
>
>
> Klavierbauer is possible in a country the
> size of New England with a small handful of top notch manufacturers, a
> national school system that teaches cooperatively with industry,
> and a centuries-old tradition of exclusive trade and craft guilds. A
> place where all is well for those who fit in the system.
>
>
>
> es
>      =