In the frame of the Vietnamese – German Cooperation and within the activity field “LILAMA2 – Centre of Excellence for TVET” of the Programme Reform of TVET in Vietnam from 6^th to 24^th July 2015, two training courses namely “Sensors and Applications” and “Installation and programming of industrial control systems with PLC (programmable logic controller)” were organized for electrotechnic and mechatronic teachers/instructors at LILAMA 2 – Technical and Technology College.

The training course “Sensors and Applications” took place from 6^th to 10^th July, 2015. In this course, participants were not only provided with useful knowledge of popular sensors widely used in industry but also paid much attention to develop their competencies of applying various sensors in designing, installing, testing and commissioning specific applications.

The training course “Installation and programming of industrial control systems with PLC” took place from 11^th to 24^th July, 2015. This course accommodated participants with basic knowledge and skills concerning installation and PLC programming for specific industrial control applications. They were instructed to design and install control panels, write and download control programmes into PLC, and finally connect control panels with the input (sensors) and output (actuators such as conveyors/ motors) of the current mechatronics systems to commission these systems.

All practical exercises included in these two training courses were chosen from real situations. Based on those real situations, the participants had to make plans, which they then designed with drawings and notations according to industrial standards, using commonly used software. They chose the right devices, installed and wired with high quality and good-looking appearance, set up and adjusted sensors and devices, and finally programmed and commissioned following technical requirements.

For some practical exercises, in order to build and develop competencies of self-studying and researching to be able to deal with real situations, participants were asked to look for technical documents and information on the internet, to make their own plans and to carry out their projects, then to evaluate their work by themselves based on given problems/requirements.

After finishing the two training courses, all participants stated that the courses were necessary and useful for their training work. They also highly appreciated the gained knowledge and skills, especially the training methods employed during the two courses which they can later apply in their job.

Snapshots of the training courses: