The Engineer In Transition (abbreviated E.I.T.) program, at Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation is a global provider of industrial automation, power, control and information solutions. Brands in industrial automation include Allen-Bradley and Rockwell Software....

 (formerly Allen-Bradley

Allen-Bradley

Allen-Bradley is the brand-name of a line of Factory Automation Equipment manufactured by Rockwell Automation . The company, with revenues of approximately US$4.5 billion in 2006, manufactures programmable automation controllers , human-machine interfaces, sensors, safety components and systems,...

) is a six-month training program for newly hired engineers. Those accepted into the program are usually intended for Field Service assignments for Rockwell Automation, but will sometimes end up in other areas of the company. The employees in the program cover a broad range of topics which introduce them to the operation and troubleshooting of the full line of Allen-Bradley and Rockwell Automation products.

Class composition

The class of Engineers originating from the U.S. Some of the international students will remain in the U.S. after training, but the majority will return to their home countries to continue their work for RA

Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation is a global provider of industrial automation, power, control and information solutions. Brands in industrial automation include Allen-Bradley and Rockwell Software....

/AB

Allen-Bradley

Allen-Bradley is the brand-name of a line of Factory Automation Equipment manufactured by Rockwell Automation . The company, with revenues of approximately US$4.5 billion in 2006, manufactures programmable automation controllers , human-machine interfaces, sensors, safety components and systems,...

. Employees hired into the program all have a Diploma/BS/BTech/MS in a field of engineering. Most commonly, mechanical engineers and electrical engineers compose the class, however, that is by no means a restriction to Instrumentation, just a trend in interest in the program.

Segments

The six-month course is subdivided.

1. The first segment is the bulk of the general training, giving each Engineer the basic knowledge needed to operate and troubleshoot the full range of RA and AB PLC
   Programmable logic controller
   A programmable logic controller or programmable controller is a digital computer used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or light fixtures. PLCs are used in many industries and machines...
   
   s's and other equipment. The first segment generally lasts 15 weeks.
2. The second segment is a one week field assignment for most of the Engineers in the program. The engineers will take one week in the area in which they will begin work after the completion of the E.I.T. program. For the international students, many will travel back to their country of origin and begin their work immediately following the E.I.T. program, while a few will continue to the third segment.
3. The third segment of the program will vary in length depending on the program in question. After determining their field assignment, the engineers will be assigned an "Advanced Track" of study that will best apply to their intended field. The third segment separates the original class into different groups by their advanced topic. These topics include: Drives, Process, Motion, Safety, and Software.

Amenities

E.I.T. students are provided with a plethora of essentials to progress through the program, and ultimately take with them for work in the field.

Tools

Each student (U.S. only, because international transport of tools is cost/compatibility prohibitive.) is provided with a set of Craftsman

Craftsman (tools)

Craftsman is a line of tools and lawn and garden equipment controlled by Sears Holdings Corporation; the brand is owned by KCD IP, LLC, a special purpose entity created by Sears Holdings for securitization purposes....

 tools, with a rugged travel case to store them. The size of the kit varies from one E.I.T. class to the next, depending on the deals Craftsman is offering at the time, but the kit is usually a 500 piece kit or larger, including the following: full socket and hex wrench sets, multiple Allen and Torx wrenches, full sets of various screwdrivers, jewelers screwdrivers, hammers (rubber and ball-peen), part grabbers and retrievers, and various other components. Craftsman tools are used because of their quality, and more importantly their lifetime guarantee to be able to take any broken Craftsman tool back to any Craftsman dealer (usually Sears) and they will replace it for free.

Electronics

Students are provided with multiple testing devices. First and foremost, they are each provided with their very own Dell

Dell

Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...

 laptop, for work in the field, which comes pre-loaded with the full gamut of Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation is a global provider of industrial automation, power, control and information solutions. Brands in industrial automation include Allen-Bradley and Rockwell Software....

software they will be using throughout the course and field work. They also receive multiple PCMCIA cards (optional), and associated cables which allow them to communicate with the varying Allen-Bradley devices they work on. While it may sound like a non-expense, the proprietary PCMCIA cards still come at a great cost to the company, who designs them, but still chooses to go through a third party manufacturer for their construction. Finally, students are provided with a number of diagnostic tools including, but not limited to the following: digital multimeter, portable digital oscilloscope, voltage testers, network analyzers (for multiple different network structures), cabling tools, and cable testers

Safety

One of the most important aspects of field work is safety. For this reason, each student is provided with safety equipment, including: electrically rated hard hat, safety boots, safety glasses, electrical hazard lineman's gloves, flame retardant shirts and pants, Lock out, tag out (LOTO) locks, hasps, and warning tags, and caution tape for working in certain areas.

Program importance

RA believes that investing in the E.I.T. program is essential to offering the best service to their customers in most economical way. RA "spends" an amount of money between the amount of gear they provide to the engineers in the program, coupled with the amount they pay the instructors (mostly company Employees), and the general loss of income from hiring engineers and paying them to learn instead of work for six months (or one year). Many customers value RA's Field Service and development above others due to the quality of the service. E.I.T. graduates are commonly able to diagnose and fix system problems at a rate nearly 30% faster than the competitors. In addition, RA service Engineers can and do regularly fix problems associated with competitors products, while certain competitors refuse to work with any hardware that is not their own.