With support from the Friends of the Crawford Library, Inc., the Valve Manufacturers Association has launched “Valve Ed,” a new valve and actuator training program tailored to the educational needs of the next generation. In this section of the website you can:
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Find out about upcoming educational events and products.
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Discover what’s in the works as Valve Ed expands.
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Learn how you can support Valve Ed through donations to the Friends of the Crawford Library, and review a list of contributors.
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Explore the story behind the development of the Friends of the Crawford Library.
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Read about the challenges facing the industry as it struggles to find and educate workers to replace retiring baby-boomers.
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Watch for additional content as our Valve Ed website grows!
If you have any questions about Valve Ed, please contact Judy Tibbs.
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS!
We're pleased to announce contributions to the Education & Training program from the following VMA member companies:
PLATINUM LEVEL:
GOLD LEVEL:
The Russell & Beverly Ginn Foundation
SILVER LEVEL:
BRONZE LEVEL:
Click here to make a contribution to the Friends of the Crawford Libary.
Prospective corporate donors ($1,250 or above) can find out more information about the benefits of contributing by viewing this PDF.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Valve Manufacturers Association, with support from the Friends of the Crawford Library, held its first official event--the Valve Basics Seminar & Exhibition--on Oct. 29 in Houston. Based on the strong response from the industry, the Valve Manufacturers Association has announced two more events, featuring Valves & Actuators 101, will be held in 2010. Dates and locations will be announced by the end of November 2009, so check this website for more information, or contact Judy Tibbs.
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE NOW... AND IN THE FUTURE
We have just released our first educational product, a collection of 17 articles from Valve Magazine’s Back to Basics series. The 80-page, spiral-bound, full-color Back to Basics Compilation has been flying off the shelves since we first announced it in the spring issue of Valve Magazine. You can order a copy today through the VMA Online Store. Additional editorial compilations from Valve Magazine are also in the works.
Coming soon: Valves 101 and Actuators 101, two separate and comprehensive PowerPoint presentations (including lecture notes) will go on sale in the first half of 2010. Following the release of these teaching tools on CDs, we will develop print manuals.
As funding permits, we will develop more basic education programs under the Valve Ed banner, and begin plans for an online learning center. Watch this webpage and future issues of Valve Magazine for details as they become available.
THE STORY BEHIND THE CRAWFORD LIBRARY
In 1982, valve industry leader and philanthropist William F. Crawford generously provided a grant to the Valve Manufacturers Association through The Crawford Family Foundation of Chicago. Learn what inspired Crawford to support the industry’s educational efforts and how that legacy is being used today to educate a new generation. Read more here.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ...
The story that started it all, "Who Will Run Tomorrow's Plants?", was originally published in a 2006 issue of Valve Magazine. Once this article appeared, VMA and its members began to realize that someone needed to take the lead in educating newcomers to the industry. Folllowing the recommendation of VMA's Communications Committee, the VMA Board approved the formation of the Education & Training Committee, to begin work on a basic valve education program.
In a 2008 edition of Valve Magazine, we presented another article, "Reaching Out to Tomorrow's Workforce," which discussed how to prepare the next generation of workers to staff and manage plants and facilities that use and make valves. The conclusion? It won't be easy but some innovative programs in other industries are underway.
PAST ARTICLES MAKE GREAT EDUCATIONAL TOOLS
End users, specifiers, distributors, valve repair and service firms and others involved in the industry often look to previously published articles in Valve Magazine. If you'd like review the titles of articles published from 1993 through today, visit the Valve Magazine website. You can select past articles (or entire issues) and order them on the VMA Store.
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