The further training course “Closed Loop Control Technology in Mechatronics” took place from 08.10 – 18.10.2019 at LILAMA 2 International Technology College. Mr. Stefan Paschek, an expert in automation technology from Germany, conducted the 80h training for 10 TVET teachers from Lilama 2, An Giang and Long An as well as 02 in-company trainers of Thuan Hai, Martech.

The target of this training was to increase the participant’s knowledge and skills in control technology. An additional focus was the didactical approach to develop teaching and learning materials for the regular training of college students. Moreover, the TVET teachers and in-company trainers were enabled to disseminate the topic to other colleagues in colleges and in companies.  

The training was designed in a two-stage system. Stage 1 focused on closed loop control basis with a basic training system. It included recording measured values with changed valve position, voltage on the pump or different level heights. Graphical analysis and observation of level, pressure, flow, as well as time response were also integrated in Stage 1. The advanced close loop control was mentioned in Stage 2 with a process-automation system including Filter-, Mixing-, Reactor-, and Filling Stations.

Mr. Stefan Paschek said that the training was a full success, the participants deserve to be praised for their dedication and willingness to learn new concepts. He added “All participants showed eager interest on how they to apply their knowledge of closed loop control and their training equipment in the field of Industry 4.0. I really welcome these approaches and am willing to exchange opportunities and new measures with the participants”.

Mr. Lê Văn Hùng, teacher from LILAMA 2 expressed, “As assistant trainer I was also excited on working with other colleagues in setting-up, wiring and commissioning the system for process technology. All of us could gain knowledge about measurement of electrical and process engineering variables such as level, flow rate, pressure and temperature. As such competence are very important for our students to gain, we are going to integrate the topic about closed loop control technology into the current cooperative training programme for mechatronics technicians at LILAMA 2”.

“Our skills were sharpened, and our knowledge was deepened day by day. We all were motivated that everyone spent time until late evening to fulfill the tasks. Under the guidance of the trainer, we completed the final control and loop control project for industrial food processing”, commented Ms. Phan Thi Xe Rieng, from Long An Vocational College. She also said, “The accumulated knowledge during the training helps us teachers a lot on assessment of control response, analysis of controlled systems and controlled circuits, parameter setting and optimization of P, PI or PID controllers, writing open-loop and closed-loop control programmes”.

“This training course was a great experience for all in-company trainers. We all, in-company trainers and teachers, were enabled to multiply our gained knowledge and skills in our companies and colleges after this training. In addition to this, we know how to pursue the approach of Industry 4.0”, remarked Mr. Nguyen Nhat Truong, production manager at Jungwoo Vina Construction Site of Thuan Hai Company.

This and the following training courses are part of a comprehensive further training concept for teaching staff of LILAMA2 College. The concept aims to build up the professional competence of vocational trainers comparable to the competence of a German skilled worker in the industrial occupations Metal Cutting-CNC, Construction Mechanics, Industrial Electronics and Mechatronics.

This training course was held within the component “Support for Centres of Excellence for TVET” as part of the Vietnamese-German “Programme Reform of TVET in Viet Nam”. The programme is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) together with the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).