A commitment to training

IT was while repairing household appliances for her family at a young age that Frances Richardson took the first tentative steps towards maintenance technology. It wasn't long before she settled on her career.

From a family of seven in Finglas, Dublin, 27-year-old Richardson decided on electronics only after she left second-level school, initially embarking on a three-year course in equipment maintenance in 1992.

She was then taken on by Hewlett Packard and now works as a maintenance technician. Taking advantage of the firms commitment to ongoing training, she started studying for a qualification in electro-mechanical engineering a year later, a course she is due to graduate at the end of August. The course is based in the Technical Development Centre at Tallaght IT. Part of the training involves studying for two-week periods in Oregon, in the United States. She has already spent two two-week periods there and is looking forward to her third trip at the end of this month - to study new tool tests.

"With my work and the night classes, there is very little time left for anything else but it is well worth it. The hobbies which I used to have, such as aerobics for instance, tend to get left on the sidelines but at the same time I have the weekends to myself so I do get time to enjoy myself," she says.

Richardson works in the Test Department of the firm and her job involves testing components which in turn are used in testing the printers, as well as carrying out "preventative maintenance" to ensure that problems are nipped in the bud. "I carry out energy calibrations on the measuring equipment which is used to test the printers and make sure they are operating properly. I also produce the documentation which is a record of the tests carried out and the work done," she says.

"I carry out tests to find out the weight and speed the ink used in printer cartridges is delivered at and I make sure that the printer banks are up and running at all times," she explains.

Although her main priority is the repair and maintenance of test equipment, another important element of her work is to draw up trouble-shooting manuals for the operators of the printers.

"There are a lot of opportunities in the sector. Within two years of being employed by Hewlett Packard I got accepted for further professional development," she says. Richardson wants to continue to upgrade her skills. She relies on the support, both financial and otherwise, of her employer to do this.

"It is a very friendly place to work and the facility has everything, including a gym and canteen, on site. They are also very supportive if you want to increase your qualifications and help you any way they can," she says.

HEWLETT PACKARD: The US computer giant established its manufacturing base in Leixlip in 1995 and now employs 1,500, of whom 50 per cent are graduates.