Changes in the Office Automation industry place increasingly high demands on the training of technicians servicing image processing equipment. Today's era of network-connected multifunctional and color devices require a solid understanding of the fundamental technology concepts.

Blend this fact with the very difficult challenge for service organizations to find and keep qualified people to support these products creates the need for an alliance between service organizations and educational institutions.

Partnership in Education is Ricoh Americas Corporation program to develop the technical skills of community college and vocational school students in the Office Automation industry. It is designed to supplement existing technology curriculum at education institutions and to provide students with the knowledge and experience to perform as an entry level technician. Students completing this innovative offering will be qualified to begin their careers in the office automation industry upon graduation.

Partnerships between educational institutions and technology companies are paramount to ensure the future success of students entering the work force. Schools benefit from a program that sends graduates directly to work from the classroom. Dealerships reap the benefits of hiring new employees who have already learned and understand the industry, reducing the amount of training time.

The program is based around modern office equipment technology. It consists of Instructor and Student training guides, media aides, and reference materials needed to form a comprehensive training program. The basic curriculum consists of the following modules, subject to change based on technology driven program evolution.

CORE BASICS

The Core Basics course is designed to develop the skills of newly hired technicians, as well as help experienced technicians transition to Ricoh Family Group products. Candidates selected to attend this course should have a general understanding of mechanical systems (gears, motors, etc.). Electronics experience is helpful. Candidates should also be able to perform basic arithmetic functions, read and interpret technical documents and drawings, and operate basic hand tools.

DIGITAL COLOR

This course prepares Service Professionals with the basic digital color information required before completing product-specific training on any color Multi-Function Product or Color Laser Printer. This multimedia-rich program incorporates digital video, audio and interactive exercises to provide both an informative and effective presentation of the Principles of Color, Communicating Color and Digital Color Imaging and Printing. A detailed Digital Color Basics Reference Manual is also electronically available in PDF format on CD-ROM, which should be printed by the student as part of the course. Upon the successful completion of the training course, the student will have developed an understanding of factors affecting color perceptions, additive and subtractive colors, how color is created using the image formation process and more.

INTRODUCTION TO SOLUTIONS PRODUCTS

This pre-training course provides a concise overview of solutions products offered by the Ricoh Americas Corporation and an introduction to the training strategy. This course provides some basic information on solutions products and helps the student and service manager determine if the student is ready to progress through other levels of training available which cover Multi-Function Products connected to a network.