Customer voice: I dreamed of polymer chains
Three weeks, 120 teaching units, daily performance tests, and three exams (written, practical, and oral) – the advanced training program to become an adhesive specialist makes even experienced professionals sweat. Three experts from the industrial adhesives sales department at OTTO-CHEMIE wanted to find out and took on the challenge.
The three regional managers from OTTO joined the program to offer even deeper adhesive and bonding expertise specifically for their industrial customers. Of course, they already possessed excellent knowledge of their field, but the certificate for successfully completing the course now demonstrates this expertise to the outside world.
In addition to the purely technical content, the focus was also on daily routine and personal self-affirmation: Can you still keep up with the younger generation when it comes to learning at an age just over or under 50?
How do experience, a wealth of knowledge, and composure – values accumulated over years of professional life – pay off in this context?
These thoughts instilled in the three employees from OTTO a tremendous respect for the challenges of the three-week course.
Then it all began: Classes took place five days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with three breaks. Each day began with a review of the previous day's material. This allowed for early identification of potential gaps in knowledge and also helped overcome exam anxiety. During class, the not-so-young students were challenged in many ways: listening, understanding, reflecting, taking notes—not easy when you're no longer used to learning. One of the OTTO colleagues counted over 280 pages of written notes.
The day wasn't over after work; it was time to study. While the initial goal was simply to avoid failing, by the first week at the latest, ambition was awakened: each of the three course participants wanted to do as well as possible! Similar to languages, which one internalizes in their minds during extended stays abroad, the specialist knowledge soon began to haunt their dreams. "I dreamed about polymer chains" – this is how one of the participants recalls the intensive period of learning and processing sometimes very abstract information.
The practical exercises offered some relief and a change from purely mental work. As part of the training, participants tested adhesive bonds made with different materials and with different surface preparations. Bond strength, curing, reproducibility, and long-term durability were all examined. These tests were carried out using destructive testing procedures, which determine the respective limit values, and documented accordingly. In addition to the goal of practicing the correct production of such specimens, the participants also learned that the results from standardized tests cannot always be transferred to real components.
Eventually, the three strenuous and demanding weeks were over, and the final hurdle loomed: the final oral exam. While each week of the course concluded with a written test, which could even be repeated, and the practical exam was to be completed in the second week, the participants had to give it their all again in the oral exam. External examiners repeatedly asked questions about everything learned in the previous weeks and had their connections explained. Although this knowledge test only lasted 30 minutes per pair of participants, anyone who showed gaps could find themselves in a tight spot. Ultimately, it was no problem for the OTTO employees, probably because they approached this training with the necessary respect, high motivation, and a great deal of hard work. At the end of the course, they received the coveted "Adhesive Specialist (EAS)" certificate according to the DVS®/EWF 3301 and EWF 516 guidelines.
