Jim Steele, the Vice President of AMATROL Inc., a US based company supplying K-Poly with learning systems and training has paid a two-day visit to the institution to prepare the grounds for a technology transfer and instructor training programme.
Mr Jim Steele, who is VP in charge of Curriculum Development of AMATROL Inc., arrived on Thursday April 26th and held meetings with the Chairman of the Polytechnic Council, Alhaji Salifu Seidu, some council members.
 
He also held meetings with the Rector, Professor Nicholas Nsowah-Nuamah, management and all instructors who will be trained on AMATROL systems that have been ordered for the Engineering Faculty of K-Poly.
AMATROL is supplying a Mechatronics Laboratory for the training of Mechanical and Electronic and Electrical Engineering students.
At a meeting with the instructors, Mr Steele said the purpose of his visit was to establish an action plan for the training programme for the instructors, who are all lecturers of the Polytechnic.
He noted that, the overall plan is to send down a team of instructors from the US, who will offer the best training possible to the lecturers.
 
According to him, the lecturers, after the programme, should become master instructors to enable them offer training on the AMATROL Systems to students.
“Teaching teachers is different and we assume you have a good level of training. Nonetheless, we expect good preparation as we are going to teach in a week what should be taught in a semester,” he told the trainee lecturers.
Mr Steele said: “By the end of May, the first shipment of machinery will leave AMATROL, bound for K-Poly and baring any delays, the laboratories should be set up and running before the training starts,” he said.
According to Mr Steele, AMATROL INC. started selling training systems in 1981 but this is the first time the company is doing a big project and training programme outside of the US.
“We will learn a lot from this assignment and for me the benefit will be two- way for AMATROL and K-Poly,” Mr Steele said.
He said he will make available to the Polytechnic, SKILL ACE, which is a classroom management software programme for the use of the trainees.
Mr Steele emphasised that as a company, AMATROL considers the success of its customers as a value of its own and would do everything to ensure that the partnership succeeds.
He said upon his return to the US, he would send an email with a link to a survey for the trainee lecturers to answer. They will have two months to do so and the purpose according to the AMATROL VP is to determine the levels of each trainee.
“I will not send individual scores back so nobody should be worried but I will send back recommendations to everyone, stating where they fell short and what they have to do before we return for the training programme in September 2012,” said Mr Steele.
 
Mr Solomon Abu Frimpong, the Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, speaking on behalf of the trainees, welcomed Mr Steele to the Polytechnic.
He said the lecturers are keenly awaiting the project and training programme.
Mr Abu Frimpong, however, appealed to the Director of Finance to take immediate steps to relocate the Furniture Department to pave the way for the installation of the Mechatronics Laboratories.
Mr Steele was accompanied by his wife Patty and Mr Appiah Miracle of AKTECH Limited, local representatives of AMATROL Inc.
 
 
PICTURE:  Shows Mr Steele making a point to the management of K-Poly and trainee lecturers.