© WorldSkills International TD16 v7.0 WSC2019
Technical Description
Electronics
Manufacturing and Engineering Technology
WSC2019_TD16_EN
Date: 22.08.18 – v7.0
© WorldSkills International. All rights reserved
ELECTRONICS
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WorldSkills International, by a resolution of the Competitions Committee and in accordance with the
Constitution, the Standing Orders and the Competition Rules, has adopted the following minimum requirements
for this skill for the WorldSkills Competition.
The Technical Description consists of the following:
1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 2
2 THE WORLDSKILLS STANDARDS SPECIFICATION (WSSS) .............................................................. 4
3 THE ASSESSMENT STRATEGY AND SPECIFICATION ..................................................................... 11
4 THE MARKING SCHEME .................................................................................................................. 12
5 THE TEST PROJECT .......................................................................................................................... 15
6 SKILL MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION ............................................................................ 20
7 SKILL-SPECIFIC SAFETY REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................................... 21
8 MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT ....................................................................................................... 22
9 SKILL-SPECIFIC RULES ..................................................................................................................... 25
10 VISITOR AND MEDIA ENGAGEMENT ............................................................................................. 26
11 SUSTAINABILITY .............................................................................................................................. 27
12 REFERENCES FOR INDUSTRY CONSULTATION .............................................................................. 28
Effective 22.08.18
Stefan Praschl
Chair of the Competitions Committee
Michael Fung
Vice Chair of the Competitions Committee
© WorldSkills International (WSI) reserves all rights in documents developed for or on behalf of WSI, including translation and electronic
distribution. This material may be reproduced for non-commercial vocational and educational purposes provided that the WorldSkills logo
and copyright notice are left in place.
WSC2019_TD16_EN
Date: 22.08.18 – v7.0
© WorldSkills International. All rights reserved
ELECTRONICS
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1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 NAME AND DESCRIPTION OF THE SKILL COMPETITION
1.1.1 The name of the skill competition is
Electronics
1.1.2 Description of the associated work role(s) or occupation(s).
The electronics industry is very diverse and has evolved into several specialisms. Some Engineering
Technicians/Technologists will work across many aspects of electronics, but increasing specialization
and technical developments means that specialist Engineering Technician/Technologist are widely
employed.
The key areas of specialism which can be seen as careers in their own right include the assembly and
wiring of electronic products; the designing of prototype circuits to specifications and/or to solve
specified technical problems; the installation and commissioning of equipment including the provision
of customer support; service and maintenance which includes service at customer/repair/service-depot
locations and remotely; and monitoring and testing to specifications: circuits, sub-assemblies and
systems. Approving: circuits, sub-assemblies, systems as fit-for-purpose or meeting government
regulations.
Electronics Engineering Technician/Technologists also rely on Schematic Capture and Layout software
to create/verify/simulate schematic circuits and printed circuit boards. This is a specialised occupation in
its own right, and also involves the creation of production documents such as Bills of Material, Gerber
Files and Excellon drill files, and other automated equipment files.
Electronics specialists work in a wide range of industries supported by highly technical specialist
equipment. Almost every aspect of today’s world relies on, or directly uses, electronics technology. It
can be said that all technologies today use Electronics in one form or another.
Electronics Engineering Technician/Technologists must work with a high degree of accuracy and
precision, conforming to detailed specifications and international quality standards and demonstrating
extensive technical ability. Due to the constant developments in technology, the electronics
Engineering Technician/Technologist needs to be proactive in ensuring that his/her skills and
knowledge are up-to-date and meet industry standards and expectations.
The Engineering Technician/Technologist may work directly with clients and will therefore need to
demonstrate excellent customer service and communication skills and work effectively to time
schedules. When working with clients, the Engineering Technician/Technologist may have to explain
elements of complex electronics principles to assist the client to use equipment correctly. Often the
nature of the establishment in which the electronics Engineering Technician/Technologist works will
require them to respect confidentiality in relation to highly commercially sensitive information and to
demonstrate integrity, honesty and a strong ethical sense.
The electronics specialist will work with a wide range of tools. These tools are often specialized and
include measurement test equipment. Computers and specialist software development tools are used
to create programs for embedded systems, programmable devices and desktop systems. In addition,
tasks will also require the use of specialist hand tools for the assembly and maintenance and rework of
circuits. Surface mounted technology (SMT) is the dominant technology.
Industry also relies on Engineering Technician/Technologists to implement software solutions used to
address manufacturing requirements. Engineering Technician/Technologists may also setup, configure
and tune automated assemblies, circuits, systems and processes.
Embedding microcontroller units (MCUs) into systems forms the basis for Embedded Systems
Engineering and is another electronics specialism. Embedded System design involves interfacing MCUs
to the outside world via sensors/communication interfaces. It also involves the writing of quality
software to perform required tasks.
WSC2019_TD16_EN
Date: 22.08.18 – v7.0
© WorldSkills International. All rights reserved
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1.1.3 Number of Competitors per team
Electronics is a single Competitor skill competition.
1.1.4 Age limit of Competitors
The Competitors must not be older than 22 years in the year of the Competition.
1.2 THE RELEVANCE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS DOCUMENT
This document contains information about the standards required to compete in this skill competition,
and the assessment principles, methods, and procedures that govern the competition.
Every Expert and Competitor must know and understand this Technical Description.
In the event of any conflict within the different languages of the Technical Descriptions, the English
version takes precedence.
1.3 ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS
Since this Technical Description contains only skill-specific information it must be used in association
with the following:
• WSI – Competition Rules
• WSI – WorldSkills Standards Specification framework
• WSI – WorldSkills Assessment Strategy
• WSI Online resources as indicated in this document
• WorldSkills Health, Safety, and Environment Policy and Regulations
WSC2019_TD16_EN
Date: 22.08.18 – v7.0
© WorldSkills International. All rights reserved
ELECTRONICS
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2 THE WORLDSKILLS STANDARDS
SPECIFICATION (WSSS)
2.1 GENERAL NOTES ON THE WSSS
The WSSS specifies the knowledge, understanding, and specific skills that underpin international best
practice in technical and vocational performance. It should reflect a shared global understanding of
what the associated work role(s) or occupation(s) represent for industry and business
(www.worldskills.org/WSSS).
The skill competition is intended to reflect international best practice as described by the WSSS, and to
the extent that it is able to. The Standards Specification is therefore a guide to the required training
and preparation for the skill competition.
In the skill competition the assessment of knowledge and understanding will take place through the
assessment of performance. There will only be separate tests of knowledge and understanding where
there is an overwhelming reason for these.
The Standards Specification is divided into distinct sections with headings and reference numbers
added.
Each section is assigned a percentage of the total marks to indicate its relative importance within the
Standards Specification. This is often referred to as the “weighting”. The sum of all the percentage
marks is 100.
The Marking Scheme and Test Project will assess only those skills that are set out in the Standards
Specification. They will reflect the Standards Specification as comprehensively as possible within the
constraints of the skill competition.
The Marking Scheme and Test Project will follow the allocation of marks within the Standards
Specification to the extent practically possible. A variation of five percent is allowed, provided that this
does not distort the weightings assigned by the Standards Specification.
