The Fluid Power Distributors Assn., The Fluid Power Society and the National Fluid Power Assn. share many common goals. One is to recruit and train individuals for sales and engineering careers in the industry.

According to FPDA executive director Kathy DeMarco, training in fluid power and motion control products has two far-reaching goals: to enable youngsters to become excited about the dynamics of mechanical movement and to train older students and professionals about new technologies and new uses for typical products.

"The young person who gets excited about the potential of fluid power could become tomorrow's customer or sales professional," DeMarco said.

The FIRST Robotics Competition, a yearly contest among high school students, teachers and fluid power advisors, draws over 600 teams from around the country. It is one of the best sources in the nation for getting young people interested in motion control, DeMarco said.

She added that the National Fluid Power Assn., a group of component and machine manufacturers, puts strong emphasis on continuing education and training. Seminars are held throughout the year, she said. NFPA lists 14 universities with fluid power educational programs, and lists a dozen or more seminars per month on a variety of topics. According to Clayton Fryer, education vice president for the Fluid Power Society, educational opportunities have become more available in the last 10 years. While some formal, two-year college programs have been reduced or eliminated, more "personalized, self-paced training is utilized."

More manufacturers are providing training to distributor salespeople by bringing hands-on presentations to distributors, rather than expecting people to travel to the manufacturers' sites, Fryer said.

"I believe manufacturers have a vested interest in training distributor salespeople, but the responsibility is not solely the manufacturers'," he said.

As a result of the reduction in college classes, distributors and their suppliers are trying to set up training programs to provide technical and product skills. The Fluid Power Society offers over a dozen certificate categories for educational achievement. Certification is an important criterion for professional evaluation, Fryer said.

"Certification by the Fluid Power Society is helping to verify and establish the training and skill base," Fryer said. Constant training is required because many products have a short technical life and are replaced with more complex items as they become available. Distributor salespeople, who are well trained and, more importantly, continually updated about new products, are more likely to "stay with a distributor organization over the long haul," Fryer said.

They are also more likely to generate more sales on new products at existing accounts, he said. But, manufacturers and distributors are having difficulty funding training sessions.

"Unfortunately, the training budget is often one of the first cuts made in tough times and the last reinstated in good times," he said.