Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is important in developing your professional practice and keeping your skills and knowledge up to date. It can prepare you for greater responsibilities, increase confidence, aid in creative thinking when tackling challenges, enable you to make informed decisions, and/or help you take your career further. This was certainly the motivation for Antonio Mendoza Mendoza in the Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences Division. We asked Antonio about this certification and here is what he had to say:
Where did you do this qualification (who was the provider and was it online)?
This is an online course provided by The Technology Academy, which is associated to Rohde & Schwarz, a very well-known and important company related to RF (Radio Frequencies) and antennas equipment, design and development, as well as Electronics equipment manufacturing (oscilloscopes, signal generators, scalar and vector network analysers, etc). Website: https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/
What is the qualification for?
The course is aimed to understand all aspects that involve the process of communication by the use of antennas and RF devices and systems like Bluetooth, mobile communication and 4G/5G, to name a few. This qualification provided me with the knowledge related to antennas, RF and microwave communications, which is paramount for my work in the anechoic chamber.
What did you have to do to obtain the qualification and how long did it take?
This qualification was divided in 35 modules which contain around 15 hours of video lessons followed by questionnaires for each module. Once I enrolled I had a year to complete the course, which I was attending while performing my duties as Electronics Technician and Health and Safety Coordinator in the CEMS Division. This course expanded my knowledge in some aspects of RF and microwave engineering and refreshed the skills acquired during my degree in Applied Physics.
The course has been approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) for the quality of its technical content and adherence to the IEEE’s strict criteria for educational excellence.
How does it impact you and your career development?
The course covered all the aspects necessary to perform antennas tests and run the anechoic chamber. The knowledge increased my confidence when performing the experiments required by PhD students or external companies. This work usually relates to areas like automotive systems or satellite and mobile communications.
What is the benefit and impact on your current role?
I am not an RF engineer, and thus I felt there were some gaps in my skills in relation to the RF and communications systems fields. The course helped me close those gaps by understanding the function of different devices and equipment related to antennas and communication systems, as well as getting the knowledge to improve the tests I run in such a special environment as the anechoic chamber. I can now perform these tests in a more advanced way, by improving the outcome and the results, and minimizing measurement errors and negative impacts (time and costs) that these could create.
How will the knowledge learned be applied to your role?
As the operator of the anechoic chamber of the School of Engineering, University of Kent, I find this course supports my daily work as I can provide the researchers in this field with the best results. I also provide outstanding support and advice to external companies and institutions that approach the School to use this delicate, expensive and special facility.