The National Report of Estonia

Part II: Case studies on workplace learning and on related potentials to develop partnership cooperation (Draft version 30.11.2006)

Case-study of the Southern Estonia

1. Introduction or Basic characteristics

There are more than 400 metalworking and engineering enterprises in Estonia, 100 of them are small, with a staff of 1-5 persons and a turnover of less than one million krones. For the current research quite big enterprises were chosen: BLRT Grupp (turnover in 2004 2,5 billions krones), Tarkon AS (turnover 253 million krones), Machinery factory in Paide, and Tarmetec Ltd (www.tarmetec.ee). The labour market situation in the current area is tough: companies are ready to propose workplaces for more specialists than schools can prepare. That is why sometimes companies stand in the queues for trainees in a hope to get them on work. In the same image of professional education is not very high in Estonia in spite of the fact that salaries of the specialists are at Estonian average level. After interviews with specialists on the national and regional levels, Southern Estonia was chosen as a place for the current case-study. Learning in two enterprises and two VET-schools were explored and analysed. In sum during the period from May till June 2005 six interviews with the representatives of these organisations were held: two interviews with working mechatronics, two interviews with the managers of the companies and two interviews with the people from the VET-schools. Additionally documentation of the organisations was analysed: it included vocational standards, ISO learning procedures, educational programs, individual lists of skills of workers, and job instructions. Number of formal learning partners considerably varies among these enterprises. Thus every summer BLRT Grupp organises practise for approximately 100 students, Tarkon – for 28. It should be mentioned that VET-schools have a possibility to choose their learning partners: Centre of VET-education of Vyru has 68 partners for practice of mechatronics. These companies work in very different areas: some of them produce dairy products, other electronics, and third deal with matters of security. Representatives of the VET-schools control that their students have a possibility to practice according to their profession and that they are not used just as “bottle-washers”. If such a situation occurs a student can always change his/her place of practice. Different from enterprise-VET-school network types of learning will be discussed in details in the next Chapter. A speciality of mechatronic was chosen to be an object of the case-study, as it is one of the crucial positions in the modern manufacturing. Mechatronic is a person who sets and programmes the machinery. He works in close co-operation with technologist, operator and surveyor. It is possible to say that he is a programmer and an adjuster in one person. This profession came to Estonia 3-4 years ago thus there are not so many specialists who learned exactly this speciality. In the same with a help of training old programmers and adjusters acquired it without any problems. Training was held in VET-schools or on working place. As speciality of mechatronic considerably depends on machinery then training abroad at the firms of producers was also made. This year a first graduates-mechatronics will enter manufacturing world. Established vocational standards for mechatronics at different levels exist: Mechatronic I, II, III and Mechatronic IV. Qualification of Mechatronic III-IV gives a right to be an instructor; the last qualification demands higher education. Detailed requirements for specific and general skills of mechatronic are described in vocational standards.

2. Short descriptions of the participants of the case-study

Tarkon AS

• The company was established in August of 1907 under the name telephone factory "Edisson-Kompagnie". From 1957 the factory was called pk-32, from 1966 Tartu Kontrollaparatuuritehas (Tartu Control Equipment Factory), where black boxes or flight recorders for both civil and military aircraft were the main products. After re-independence of Estonia, a state company RAS TARKON was formed in 1992. During privatisation, a Swedish company HALLBERG SEKROM FABRIKS AB who had been a co-operation partner from 1993, bought 60 % of the shares of Tarkon, and the name AS TARKON was taken into use. Co-operation has become closer during the years and today the share of Swedish capital is 85 %. Tarkon specialises on the sub-contracting for the companies operating in the segments of telecommunication, automotive industry, energy, climate systems, industrial equipment, and consumer products. • Planned turnover of the company in 2005 is 370 million krones. • There are 528 workers in Tarkon. 200 on them specialise on metalworking. The objects of the current case-study are 25-30 operators-machine adjusters. • The company does not have its own products and fully depends on subcontracting. It has a wide range of works but does not produce big objects – the biggest diameter is 120 cm. • It has one daughter company EBÖ Eesti that produces blanks. • The production of the company is distributed all over the world through Sweden. • According to the personal manager of Tarkon Matti Timmermann, competition in metalworking subcontracting is quite high in Estonia. The strong side of Tarkon is big and flexible machinery, still quite low price and almost a century-long working experience.

Tarmetec Ltd

• In 1993 the company starting with mediating subcontract works for German car industry. For the moment it is the only enterprise in Estonia that produces stainless steel accessories for cars and trucks. As subcontractors, it supplies in small and middle-size series details and parts made of stainless steel, that require usage of several complicated production technologies simultaneously. • There are 250 workers in the company. • The company is based on German (30%) and Estonian (70%) capitals. • 80% of its product is exported, mainly to Germany. • Tarmetec is situated in the building next to Tarkon that was bought from the last. • Tarmetec has two daughter companies. OÜ Stametec is situated in Tartu and specialises in series production of ferrous metal products (mainly car parts). OÜ Kuremaa Metec is situated on Saaremaa and helps the mother-company to fulfill the orders.

Centre of VET education of Tartu

This VET-school is in close cooperation with both enterprises mentioned above: its scholars and teachers do their practice there. On the base of the secondary school it is possible to study a speciality of metal machine worker here. From the present year on the initiative of enterprises a speciality of mechatronic will be also taught. The learning program of a mechatronic is prepared with the cooperation with managers of enterprises and meets their demands. According to Matti Timmermann the centre could have problems with the qualified professors, as there are few specialists in this area in Estonia.

Centre of VET education of Vyru County

The mechatronics graduated from this school are highly estimated by the enterprises, as this centre is the first in the Southern Estonia that started preparing such specialists. According to the representative of the centre Vadim Mitroshkin, if in 2001 nobody wanted to study mechatronics then now the competition at the enter exams is 1,7 persons per place. The centre works in close cooperation with Tarkon: its scholars and teachers make their practice here. The centre also prepares other metalworking specialists.

“We need more programmers. If we do not get them from Vyru we need to train our specialist in Tartu. As there in Tartu they prepare good operators, but unfortunately they do not know how to program”, - Matti Timmermann compared two schools.

3. Mechatronic’s network of learning

As noticed above the object of the present case-study is mechatronic. Research indicated that there are different names for this speciality in different enterprises, thus mechatronic is a conditional name for the worker who programs and adjust machines. Figure 1 shows parts of the formal and informal learning of a mechatronic. These parts are schools, instructors in apprentice-learning, colleagues, producers of the machinery, mother-companies, customers of subcontracting etc. See detailed analysis of this network of learning in the next chapter.

Skeem 1

4 Importance of the part of mechatronic’s network of learning

According to the interviews made during the current research it is possible to argue that the following networks of learning exist in Estonia. Formal learning: 1. A mechatronic that studies in some VET-school makes practice in some enterprises. Usually in such a way he/she finds a job. 2. Mechatronic learns through apprentice learning in the working process. 3. There are special trainings for mechatronic. As some equipment and drawing programs are to expensive to buy for one school or one company, with the help of the Union of machine-building industry enterprises unite and organise common trainings. Informal learning: 4. Mechatronic acquires new skills and knowledge when new machines or orders come. Often it is accompanied by demand to acquire new certificates, trainings from the customers, training from the producer of machinery etc. This type of learning can be named learning through subcontracting. 5. These enterprises that work as subcontractors can “borrow” their workers when they do not have enough orders.

To great extent these types of learning belong to “situational learning”. As there is a lack of workers on the enterprises and use of machinery costs much, purpose of such a learning is to produce some real product, not just to try doing something. Another reason for using “situational learning” is the fact that very few special trainings are made for mechatronics. Thus learning objectives are usually very pragmatic and arise from current needs of an enterptise or from the demands of customer in a case of sub-contracting. Due to close cooperation between companies and schools practical objectives of the last are also corregated according to the needs of businessmen. Workers are stimulated to take active part in learning processes by wage increase.

4.1. Formal learning: VET-schools and enterprises

It is the main network of learning for getting professional skills and knowledge. If five years ago it was a problem for the schools to find a place for practice for their students then now this problem does not exist. The situation is quite the opposite: 95% of students have a job when they graduate form the school. The representatives of the enterprises also mentioned that they attract trainees only in a hope to get them later at work. In Tarkon a system of apprentice-learning exists that stipulate for salaries for both instructors and trainees. In Tarmetec special people to conduct the practice were hired this year. Cooperation between schools and enterprises rests on the mutual agreement. For instance, centre of Vyru has more than 60 partners in metalworking endustry for practice of mechatronics. Representatives of the companies also take part in composing and correction of curriculum. «They point to the things we let pass. For instance companies proposed to add such a subject to curriculum of mechatronics as inside transport – it is about transportation of details and materials in a factory”, - Vadim Mitroshkin said. Also enterprises proposed to create a speciality of mechatronic in the centre of Tartu. As 50% out of curriculum consist of practical, then schools are waiting for bigger support from the enterprises. The more new machines trainees will learn to use the better specialists come to the enterprises for work.

4.2. Formal learning: the first month in the company – time for apprentice-learning The workers come to he enterprises with very different background: some of them have got higher education, other did not complete their studies at secondary school. For instance, one of the Tarkon’s mechatronics, who came to the factory without any metalworking experience or education four years ago, now acquired all the skills and knowledge needed for this work. He started as an operator and now works as an adjuster-programmer. His instructors were his colleges. Apprentice learning is the main learning mechanism in both Tarkon and Tarmetec. It is possible to state that in Tarmetec they have only this type of training. Problem of fluctuation of manpower exists here: a person who got some training inside the company often moves to other company where he was proposed a little bit higher salary. In Tarkon almost all the workers has got experience of working as instructors.

4.3. Formal learning: supplementary trainings

Supplementary trainings are the most common way to improve one’s skills and knowledge. To find out needs for training among the workers usually one conversation between a worker and his manager per year is hold. Such conversations are done according to training procedures of ISO. As result of these conversations outside trainings constitute 40-60% of all the trainings in Tarkon. In Tarmetec training procedures are being composing. So far only inside trainings take place in this company and conversations with the workers on the matter of training seem to be formal.

Interviewer: What are results of such conversations? Representative of the company: It is individual and depends on the purpose of the conversation. At the beginning we have done this for all the workers but after we understood that it was a waste of time as not all the people actually want to develop their skills. Now managers provide us with the information on the matter of trainings according to their opinion. Other result of these conversations could be a proposition of higher salary.

Number on training also depends on the vocational instruction. The higher position is, the more training a person need to get. For instance, in the instruction of the programmer it is argued that he needs “to get regular trainings”. In the instruction for an adjuster it is stated that he can get trainings if he need them. To be more precise on the matter of training that mechatronics can get in Estonia interviewed workers mentioned two trainings on machines that were organised in Tartu and Tallinn by producers of machines and instruments.

Interviewer: What did learn during these trainings and how do use it in your work? Worker: We learned how to use new machines more effectively. There are a lot of nuances on this matter. I made video of some of them. They are really quick and very modern! Thus you feel that you have a space to develop…

As some programs are too expensive for one company, with the support of the Union of machine-building industry enterprises organise common trainings. The last organisation has information on all the needs that different companies have.

4.4. Informal learning: learning through subcontracting

New machines, new orders and new products require new knowledge. One can get them using both formal and informal learning mechanisms. One way is to research the pass of machine by yourself, the other way is to invite producers of the machine to make a training and present its possibilities. Often it is accompanied by demand to acquire new certificates or qualifications. To fulfil these demands trainings are usually done abroad as in Estonia few of them are available. Matti Timmermann describes this situation as follows: “Our customers’ demands are very high and they often need international sertificates that we do not have here in Estonia. I can not understand why our schools or teachers can not do some training to be able to give these certificates? It is nothing complicated”.

4.5. Informal learning: renting workers

During the interviews several cases where companies rented their workers from other companies were discovered. Tarmetec representative: We used some of the workers from Tarkon when the last had few orders. After such an exchange one programmer had left with us. We were very satisfied with his work.

Other types of rotation are seldom in the studied companies. In Tarmetec a programmer-operator does the entire job from the very beginning until the finished product is packed and sent to the customer. In Tarkon workers move from one machine to another but never rotate between different departments.

5. Learning profiles of the investigated companies

To identify learning profile of the companies WLP adopted tool was used. It was based on the national vocational standards and job instructions of mechatronics in the investigated companies. Main conclusions on the WLP research tool are: 1) interviews with the workers not with their managers should be done as the first have much more information about daily processes than the last; 2) questions of the interview should be based on the documentary concerning one speciality, it is not possible to create a universal tool.

5.1. Tarkon AS To make this profile interviews with the personal manager and two adjuster-programmers were made. It should be mentioned that there were no significant divergences in the opinions of the manager and his people. Strong sides of the learning profile of Tarkon are the following: • The enterprise takes part in several Leonardo da Vinci projects. Its managers are open-minded and active. • The company has got big and flexible machinery. • Workers in the company are many-sided specialists. Timmermann: Before we used to separate specialities of adjuster and programmer. If there were some mistakes in work of one specialist he could blame the other one. Now it is not possible as one person does both works of a programmer and an adjuster. Some of the workers to operator’s work also. There are around 30 such specialists in our company. • Workers enjoy high level of independence in their work. They communicate a lot with each other and exchange their experiences. • As Tarkon’s mechatronics make a permanent exchange of their experiences and knowledge, a practice of one specialist can be also useful for the others. • Almost all the workers have a possibility to work as instructors. Instructors get additional payments here. Sometimes one need to train not only students from the VET-schools, but also teachers from those schools. • It is possible to acquire in Tarkon speciality of the adjuster-programmer without any previous professional education.

Skills Learning opportunities are Comments of the interviewed persons

Fully represented Partly represented Not represented

1. Supplement of materials and billets for machines X Other workers are responsible for that
2. Reading of technical documents X A mechatronics need to deal with documents from different countries that use different symbols.
3. Knowledge about parts of the mechatronical systems X Mechatronics repair only some parts of the machines dealing with simple problems.
4. Knowledge about materials used in manufacturing process X All this can be taught during the apprentice-learning if one has got some previous training in materials. The company does not choose materials itself – they come from the customer.
5. Installation of details to the machines X It is a job of two specialists from the repairing department.
6. Taking care about machinery being in use every day X -
7. Knowledge about manufacturing processes X This knowledge depends on activity and curiosity of a worker.
8. Analyses of the manufacturing processes and capability to make suggestions on their improvement X There is a special box at the canteen of the company: everybody can put their suggestions to this. All the proper suggestions are realized and their ideologists get some bonus. Both interviewed programmers argued that their suggestions were used to improve the manufacturing processes. Actually one of their main responsibilities according to their working instruction is analysing of the manufacturing processes and improving them.
9. Knowledge about managing systems and data handling X According to programmers the longer you work the more different groups of machines you learn to use effectively and quickly.

10) Knowledge of hardware and skills for composing a managerial program. X This can be learned only in a working process looking at older colleagues as different machines have different managerial programs. Timmermann: When pupils come to practice at our company those who are from Vyru they can work independently in 3-4 days. Guys from Tartu need more learning at place. 11) Improving of already existing programs X - 12) Installation of programs into benches

X There is a special program for this purpose that is simple and quick in use.

13. Preparation of set-up maps X Depending on the previous experience adjusting of one bench can take 20 minutes or 2 hours. Thus the more groups of benches the worker knows the quicker he works.
14. Measurement of details and other measurement capacities X An adjuster-programmer makes a close cooperation with specialists from the measurement department if there are some problems with this subject.
15. Communication skills X See the previous and the following comments.
16. Maintenance of good cooperation in the team X To great extent it is at responsibility of a master and a technologist. But as production of one detail is not an individual work and demands an effort from many persons, programmers should also take care about good cooperation in a team.
17. Being an instructor for younger colleagues and trainees X Tarkon is very active in proposing the schools places for trainings. After practice is done they are ready to take 4-5 new workers each year. Work as instructors gives workers of Tarkon not pedagogical experience only but also provides them with new theoretical knowledge that comes from trainees.
18. Independence X Interviewed workers argued that their independence is even higher than their personal manager thought. Around 80% decisions they make themselves.
19. Computer skills X -
20. Knowledge of Estonian language and at least one foreign language X Big share of Tarkon’s workers are Russian-speaking persons. In the same they should speak Estonian and English as all the passports of machines, instructions and a lot of drafts are in English.

5.2. Tarmetec OÜ

As workers in this enterprise are overloaded with the orders it was not possible to make interviews with its mechatronics. So the current profile rests on the cards of skills of three CNC operators: one of them worked 10 years in this company, the other two years and the third 5 years. Quality manager began fulfil these cards of skills two years ago.

Resting on the interview with quality manager of Tarmetec it is possible to point out the following particularities of the learning profile of the company: • There are no mechatronics in this company. There are couple of persons who programs machines and there are some who works as CNC adjusters-operators. Range of skills and knowledge of them is much smaller compared to operators-programmers of Tarkon. • There are very skilful workers in tooling of Tarmetec and highly qualified welders. • Because of the tough schedule of works it is very difficult to find time for trainings and being instructor. Firstly, people are not motivated to train not in the work-time. Secondly, machines and tools is in permanent use, thus it is not possible to use them for trainings. • Tarmetec has only machines in Estonia. For instance, they have got modern robot-welder. The company is eager to share its experiences with the trainees but do not want to share it with other companies, as it is harmful for the competition. • It is planned to create a learning class with different tools inside the company, where young workers could acquire new skills. • In spite of the fact that company exists for 12 years, only now they begin to search for the personal manager and compose training procedures in accordance with demands of ISO. Thus it is possible that the next year learning potential of Tarmetec will increase.

Skills Learning opportunities are Comments of the interviewed persons

Fully represented Partly represented Not represented

1. Supplement of materials and billets for machines X It is at jurisdiction of other specialists

2. Reading of technical documents X

3. Knowledge about parts of the mechatronical systems X

4. Knowledge about materials used in manufacturing process Data on this subject is missing

5. Installation of details to the machines

6. Taking care about machinery being in use every day X

7. Knowledge about manufacturing processes X Usually one person produces a detail from the very beginning until it is packed and sent to the customer.

8. Analyses of the manufacturing processes and capability to make suggestions on their improvement

   X

9. Knowledge about managing systems and data handling X

10. Knowledge of hardware and skills for composing a managerial program. X

11. Improving of already existing programs Data on this subject is missing

12. Installation of programs into benches

    Data on this subject is missing

13. Preparation of set-up maps X

14. Measurement of details and other measurement capacities X

15. Communication skills X CNC operator makes individual job and does not communicate with other workers.

16. Maintenance of good cooperation in the team X It is at jurisdiction of other specialists

17. Being an instructor for younger colleagues and trainees X Special people were hired for this purpose as a tough working schedule of other specialists does not allow dealing with trainees.

18. Independence X

19. Computer skills X

20. Knowledge of Estonian language and at least one foreign language

    X

6. Is the cooperation between enterprises possible?

Representatives of all the interviewed companies - BLRT AS, Tarkon AS, Paide Masinatehas AS, Tarmetec OÜ – stated that make a learning cooperation with other metalworking companies is a good idea, but there are too many obstacles to realize it.

Mentioned obstacles are: • The companies do not want other companies to be informed about their processes of production. • Products of the companies do not overlap to a great extent, thus they do not need to go and see how the others arrange their things. • It is usual that the only motivation for the workers to do their job is a high salary. Thus managers of the companies are afraid that well-trained workers will go to other company just because there they are proposed 500 krones more. • Companies feel that potential of their inside trainings is very high and it needs to be developed. For instance, workers from both Tarkon and Tarmetec were ready to give lectures to their colleagues or to the students of VET-schools. Matti Timmermann: The most serious problem for the VET-schools is how to get new teachers. Our specialists could give lectures there but they do not have papers about pedagogical education for this. I think that students from the Technical University of Tallinn should get pedagogical certificates in a reductive way. Then this problem could be solved. • As demand for skilful workers is growing each year, enterprises search for close cooperation with VET-schools to get trainees from their and not with other enterprises. It should be mentioned that one programmer from Tarkon came with an idea that workers could visit other enterprises and study there. Interviewer: What trainings could be useful to make your job more effective? Worker: One should see how things are done in some other enterprise. It would be really useful. Maybe they do something quicker, more effectively? It could be especially useful for those people who worked at one company for decades. And it should be done not on the level of managers, but on the level of workers as they see much more useful things.

Matti Timmermann argued that they had negotiations on this subject with the Union of machine-building industry and the Union of employers. But no concrete decision was made. The unions mentioned above could be co-operators of learning processes though until present they were quite modest in this activity.

In sum it is possible to argue that a learning network of a mechatronic is very many-sided: its parts are schools in Estonia and abroad, older colleagues in the enterprises, previous places of work, producers of machinery, customers of sub-contracting, internet as source of information and demo programs. An idea that workers could also learn in other enterprises seems to be fresh and complicated to realize. For that purpose a common work-shop with participation of representatives of instructors and enterprises should be organized.