Bespoke Generator Training meets Industry Needs

In a sustained effort to address the skills shortage highlighted by many large power providers, Alstom Stafford is busy with a targeted training initiative.  A training program has been developed to provide power industry personnel with the skills to understand basic generator construction and design along with the operation and maintenance principles required to run a generator.

In January 2009, around 18 Eskom personnel in South Africa attended the first generator training course.  Since then, Stafford have developed tailored packages which are proving increasingly popular.  In conjunction with Alstom Rugby, customer training took place at the end of last year in Hong Kong where 25 employees from CLP (a leading power company in the Asia-Pacific region) attended an intensive 5-day course.  The positive feedback received demonstrates the value of this training to power industry professionals.

In addition, Alstom Stafford have also responded to a request to support the Foundation Degree in Power Generation at Aston University in Birmingham.  Around 25 people from the Power Industry and University attended the afternoon lecture in December 2009.  Topics covered included mechanical and electrical aspects of the generator stator and rotor.  Following this, Stafford personnel returned to the university in April of this year to lecture on generator exciters and power station generator electrical configuration.  It has since been communicated that the content of material supplemented by Alstoms expertise in these areas was highly complementary to the aims and objectives of the course.  As a result of the content of the presentations and both Alstoms practical and theoretical understanding in these areas, a regular guest spot has been offered to Alstom Stafford to lecture on a number of topics within the Foundation Degree Course in the future.

• Technical Training and Competence