Report OL199 Distance support for electronics trainees

Recent developments in new telecommunications technologies are offering rural areas a rare opportunity to solve some of the problems arising from the decline in their traditional industries. Government agencies and local authorities are keen to reduce dependence upon farming, quarrying and forestry, seeking to replace them with modern alternatives which require a differently skilled labour force. However, existing programmes are often unable to provide, cost-effectively, the necessary support because they do not have the resources and the experience to deliver the training required. Willing trainees are also denied the opportunity to gain new skills because of poor access to and a lack of flexibility in the training that is available.

The Gwynedd project, which was sponsored by the Learning Methods Branch of the Employment Department, sought to provide a training delivery system which would be flexible and accessible and which would offer trainees in Electronics and Electronic Engineering the chance to learn at a place, pace and time of their choosing.

Effective learning is encouraged when trainees are given clearly defined targets, regular guidance, information and tutorial help, the opportunity to 'learn by doing' and sufficient time for practice. Motivation and personal welfare are also improved when work is closely monitored, assessed and quickly responded to by the tutor.

The training delivery model formulated in the Gwynedd project was designed to meet these requirements in support of a wide range of rural trainees studying at home, work or college. The project was based on recently developed, modular post 16 courses in Electronics and on the use of multi-media resources including computer-managed networks, audio-conferencing and tele-writing. Of particular interest was the computerised workstation, enabling the tutor to log the progress of remote trainees.

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This page last updated 24 January 1999.