What does the day-to-day work of a maintenance specialist with a Federal Diploma of Higher Education look like?

Maintenance specialists work in industrial, commercial or service companies, such as industrial production plants, transport companies, power stations, logistics distribution centers, banks, real estate management companies or hospitals. They are responsible for the maintenance, repair and servicing of technical equipment.

Maintenance specialists monitor, check, measure and evaluate the condition of machines and systems using control plans. They locate weak points using appropriate measuring and testing procedures, then analyze and rectify them. Depending on the situation, they may also call in specialists. They organize, coordinate and monitor these themselves.

In this way, maintenance specialists ensure that the technical equipment has the longest possible service life. They prevent malfunctions, damage or even production interruptions that can be caused by wear and tear, such as corrosion, ageing or overloading. They therefore play a central role from a management perspective, as their preventative work and measures ensure the functionality, availability and quality of machines and systems, thus enabling smooth operation and continuous production and preventing accidents.

Maintenance specialists carry out their work in accordance with the legal, safety-related and technical aspects of the industry and the client. They not only focus on technical aspects, which requires corresponding technical know-how, but also take economic and ecological aspects into account in their decisions and measures. Working hours can be irregular if technical equipment is operated either non-stop or in shifts. If necessary, maintenance specialists can also lead a small team.

The most important activities of maintenance specialists at a glance:

• Support for machines and systems throughout their entire life cycle
• Visual inspection and monitoring of technical equipment
• Measuring, analyzing and evaluating physical quantities
• Checking the operating data
• Locate, analyze, evaluate and rectify weak points and faults in machines and systems
• Ensuring automated processes
• Organization and coordination for the deployment of specialists
• Ensuring the flow of information for the responsible persons, offices and departments
• Ensuring safety for everyone involved (people, materials, environment)

Target group: For whom is the Federal Diploma of Higher Education in Maintenance suitable?

The courses and the Federal Professional Examination "Maintenance Specialist (FPE)" are suitable for:

• Professionals with basic technical training (Federal VET Diploma) and professional experience in maintenance
• Professionals with many years of technical work and experience in maintenance
• Prospective supervisors from industry, business and administration who want to take on, implement and manage maintenance tasks professionally

Maintenance specialists should have the following personal qualities and skills:

• Independence
• Organizational skills
• Communication skills
• Flexibility and a high level of commitment
• Standby for on-call duty
• Reliability
• Precise, structured and goal-oriented way of working
• Quality awareness
• Sense of responsibility
• Technical understanding
• Networked thinking and action
• Load capacity
• Assertiveness
• Ability to work in a team
• Ability to deal with conflict

Requirements for admission to the Federal Professional Examination for Maintenance Specialists:

To be able to take the Federal Professional Examination for Maintenance Specialists, you must:

• Have a Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training in a technical profession and at least 2 years of professional experience in a technical profession in the field of maintenance

or

• Have completed vocational education and training (Federal VET Diploma at least 3 years) or upper-secondary level training and have at least 6 years of professional experience in a technical profession (at least two years of which must be in the field of maintenance).

and

• Have the required module qualifications A-G (valid for 5 years) or certificates of equivalence:
  • Module A: Plant operation
  • Module B: Maintenance
  • Module C: Security
  • Module D: Documentation
  • Module E: Communication
  • Module F: Logistics/Organization/Procurement/Disposal
  • Module G: Cost and performance control

You will find out whether you have been admitted to the Federal Professional Examination at least three months before the start of the examination with a written notification including reasons and information on legal remedies in the event of rejection.

Note: Some schools may be prepared to admit you to a preparatory course for the Federal Professional Examination for Maintenance Specialists if you do not (yet) meet the criteria for admission to the federal examination. It is then your responsibility to ensure that you meet the necessary requirements at the time of the examination/examination registration.

Subject matter and content of continuing education, further training

The subject matter and content of the preparatory courses for the Federal Professional Examination for Maintenance Specialists are based on the specifications of the responsible body for the Federal Professional Examination, the Swiss Association for Facility Management and Maintenance (fmpro)*.

The learning material is spread over a total of 9 modules, in which the various areas of competence that are fundamental to the Federal Professional Examination are covered (a selection is given below):

• Module A: Plant operation(Ensuring the availability, safety, reliability and efficiency of the systems, carrying out diagnostics, monitoring and analysis of failures and malfunctions, optimizing systems, etc.)
• Module B: Maintenance(execution of planned and unplanned maintenance, planning and execution of maintenance, inspection and optimization, communication with involved persons and departments, application of maintenance strategies and methods, etc.)
• Module C: Security(Concept creation for the activation of systems, knowledge and application of the relevant laws, regulations and directives in the active area, dealing with extraordinary situations, knowledge and application of the 10 ASA points (EKAS))
• Module D: Documentation(management of checklists/maintenance documents/plant documentation, interpretation and updating of diagrams and technical documents, basic knowledge of reporting and controlling)
• Module E: Communication(Instruction and training of external and own employees, support and advice for external and internal contact groups, management of a small team)
• Module F: Logistics/Organization/Procurement/Disposal(warehouse management, basic understanding of procurement, planning and implementation of removals and transporters, knowledge of warehouse logistics and its optimization)
• Module G: Cost and performance control(carrying out a cost/benefit analysis, cost/performance monitoring, monitoring of energy efficiency and energy-saving opportunities and advice on the maintenance budget)
• Module H: Professional skills(Industry-specific basic technical training. This includes knowledge of optimization and improvement potential, project management and specific technical knowledge in the specialist area)
• Module I: Personal skills(Understanding of the necessity of on-call duty, awareness of readiness for action, sense of responsibility and duty, communication skills, independence, ability to work under pressure and flexibility)

* The federal examination can currently be taken in the following five specializations or sectors:

• Machines and systems
• Building and building services
• Electricity
• Hospital, clinic, home
• Real estate, building fabric

Costs and financing of continuing education, further training

The costs vary depending on the provider. In general, the following costs must be expected for the 2 to 3 semester continuing education, further training course:

• Course fees: between CHF 9,700 and CHF 15,300. Depending on whether your employer is a member of Swissmem, the association of the Swiss mechanical, electrical and metal industry, you will benefit from reduced course costs. Temporary employees also have the option of applying for financial support for this course from "temptraining", the further training fund for the temporary employment sector.
• Examination fee: Candidates pay the examination fee of CHF 2,150 (as of summer 2021) after admission has been confirmed.
• Some providers charge extra for teaching materials, training documents, exam preparation/repetition and the NIV-15 exam. Please contact the provider of your choice directly to find out what additional costs you can expect.

*Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for Federal Professional Examination (FPE) and Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE) have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses can therefore be reimbursed up to 50% (max. CHF 9,500 for FPE, max. CHF 10,500 for AFPE) of the course costs paid after taking the federal examinations. In exceptional cases of hardship, the federal contributions are also paid out in advance.

Duration of study, number of lessons and learning effort

• The modular continuing education, further training lasts 2-3 semesters.
• The course comprises between 240 and 430 lessons, which take place all day on a fixed weekday or on two half-days per week (usually Friday evening and Saturday morning).
• Thanks to the extra-occupational concept of continuing education, further training, you can apply and deepen the learning material immediately in practice. Nevertheless, you should allow sufficient time for the preparation and follow-up of the lessons, self-study time and practical report. How much depends on your prior knowledge, working style and learning speed. As a precaution, we recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week.

Degree, diploma and title

The Federal Professional Examination for Maintenance Specialists takes place annually in June and October (as of 2021), provided that at least 12 candidates meet the admission requirements, otherwise at least every two years. It can be taken in one of the 3 official languages German, French or Italian.

The federal examination consists of four parts, which proceed as follows:

1. Writing a practical report: prepared in advance, in writing:Candidates submit a practical report to the examination secretariat 8 weeks before the start of the examination. It is part of the admission to the federal examination. The practical report must meet the requirements regarding scope and content. In addition to the title page, curriculum vitae and description of maintenance activities, this also includes documentation of a maintenance assignment in the candidate's own company. If the practical report does not meet the requirements, it must be corrected within two weeks. If the request for rectification is not complied with or if the practical report still does not meet the requirements, the candidate will not be admitted to the Federal Professional Examination.
2. Expert discussion on the practical report: 60 minutes, oral (weighted 2-fold):In the expert interview, the candidates first present the main statements of the practical report. They then answer the experts' in-depth questions about the practical report and general questions about technical maintenance.
3. Industry knowledge: 120 minutes, written (weighting 1-fold):In the written examination, candidates work on various industry-specific mini-cases, i.e. descriptions of work situations that they analyze, assess and solve. The Federal Professional Examination can currently be taken in the following sectors:
   - Machines and systems
   - Building and building services
   - Electricity
   - Hospital, clinic, home
   - Real estate, building fabric.
4. Technical maintenance: 120 minutes, written (weighting 1):Candidates deal with general, industry-independent theoretical and application questions on technical maintenance, which they answer in writing.

Diploma and title

Graduates of the Federal Professional Examination receive a Federal Diploma of Higher Education and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected title "Maintenance Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education".

In French: "Agent de maintenance / Agente de maintenance avec brevet fédéral"

In Italian: "Specialista in manutenzione con attestato professionale federale"

In English: "Maintenance specialist, Federal Diploma of Higher Education" (Attention: only a translation/recommendation, not a protected title)