Training??

[jonezy999]

Not sure if I should post this here or in employment, but here t is anyway.

What training courses are offered in your country to become a copier tech. Not official manufacturer training but across the board, pre-employment classes.

I know here in Oz there is nothing which isn't provided by specific manufacturers. No school courses, apprenticeships\traineeships. Therefore we most always have to take on a green tech.

How do you guys fair around the globe??

[blackcat4866]

That's the way I became a tech. I started green, then got some manufacturers training in my third year.

I have heard of classes in the local community college, but I have to wonder exactly how much someone can learn in 6 or 9 weeks, when it takes 12 to 18 months of intensive, stupefying, work to gain even the most basic understanding.

An apprenticeship is really the quickest way to get someone started, but somehow it never happens that way. =^..^=

[fixthecopier]

I started green. I was getting cash to help build their first big contract and they kept me on to see if I could make it as a tech. I worked a 300 machine contract for one and a half years before they sent me to school. You have to have "The Knack".

[JustManuals]

Although I'm not a copier tech, back in the day I was a printer tech. After I got my A+ certification, Unisys hired me on a temp to permanent basis. I started out only fixing PC's, but they had recently gotten the contract to repair Lexmark printers. I liked working on printers as they are mechanical and I had a mechanical background. I was a Plumber for 28 years. Anyhow, I got certified on the Lexmarks and then I specialized on printer repair. When I moved to NY, and went permanent with Unisys I got certified on HP and Xerox as well. After Unisys I worked for HP, they don't hire direct either. I took a lot of cert tests on the HP stuff and in the year I worked there they sent me to school 3 times for a week at a time. Went to Chicago and Dallas twice. Had a blast and learned a lot.

Paul@justmanuals.com

[vigour]

Our dealership went through a very huge growth spurt in the mid 80's to 90's so we had difficulty getting techs. As a result of this our training dept. pioneered and taught a copier/printer repair certificate programme at the nearby community colege. I am not sure how many years it lasted but I ran into someone laast year who got his start there.
Most of our techs have an electronic or electromechanical dipoma (.i.e Associates degree )from cmmunity colllege. Factory training kicks in immediately, especially since we are now owned by the manufacturer

[zed255]

The dealership I used to work for brought myself and a number of others in green. Seems to me that it's almost better that way, no bad habits to break or preconceived ideas to dispel.

There is now the ConpTIA PDI+ program to introduce the topic, but it's really generic so a newbie would still need specific training on the product being serviced. I recall a comment being made recently that there is a growing issue getting techs that is expected to become much worse as existing 'old dogs' retire out. Time will tell.

[Hemlock]

Is anyone else surprised that people actually want to get into copier repair? I was under the impression most of us just fell into this line of work.

[HenryT2]

Is anyone else surprised that people actually want to get into copier repair? I was under the impression most of us just fell into this line of work.

Yep ! Fell backward into this line of work.

I was working at the sales counter of a business supply company, and the manager of the service dept, realized that I had an R.E. degree; so he moved me back to SERVICE.

Hands on training only for a year, then some schools.

" Is anyone else surprised that people actually want to get into copier repair? "

It seems that the TONER gets into your blood and you can't get it out; so here we are.

Any other R.E. 's out there ?

[DAG COPIERS & COMPUTERS]

In the country where I live, an employed techs pay is so low that it is not even worth applying for the job! Most of our young graduates holding college diplomas in Electrical /Electronics Engineering who apply for these office equipment repair job usually do so to in order to "get a starting point" in life. I do not blame them though, most of the copier companies are foreign owned and tend to "despise" the locals.
The salaries are so low that most of these young techs normally leave the companies within one to two years, for " greener pastures". Most prefer to join the numerous Telecommunications companies that, apart from offering very good pay, also gives them a promising future in career advancement, by sending them for further studies/ courses abroad. Others join the POWER utility companies, or Government departments, & Banks which also offer better remunerations than the office equipment/copier companies.
Generally speaking then, to find a qualified technician/ Engineer holding a HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA/ UNIVERSITY DEGREE in electrical/electronic engineering working in a copier repair industry/company, is as rare as finding water in the Sahara desert.
So what is the future of the copier repair industry here? The industry is here 'flooded' with only who have/try to learn it on the job. They don't receive any further training in the field. They are gambling with other people's expensive investments. And with the more advances in digital copier technology, I can only cast a GLOOM on the future of this industry here. Only GOD knows.