1. Initial maintenance training

1.1 Background to initial maintenance training

Although maintenance is one of the oldest professions in the world, it wasn't until the 1980s that initial training courses specifically dedicated to maintenance appeared. It's true that, until recently, the challenges of maintenance were expressed primarily in technical terms, and maintenance personnel were recruited mainly from among the most "advanced" technicians. In those days, technical expertise and experience served as the "open sesame" for generations of maintainers, who moreover fulfilled the missions entrusted to them perfectly. It was a time, not yet past, when maintenance departments recruited their managers from professional branches such as the Navy.

The changing needs of companies, as expressed...