3.1.3 How To Nurture Systems Engineers In-House - A Case Study

RAFAEL is a company at the leading edge of weapon system development. RAFAEL develops, manufactures and supports products for every branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and for defense forces of foreign governments worldwide. In 1998, RAFAEL identified the need to improve systems engineering competencies of the engineering workforce. With the absence of systems engineering programs within Israeli universities or through Israeli industries, RAFAEL developed its own in-house training program. This paper describes the manner in which systems engineering program needs were determined and the initial program design created. The method and results of course evaluations are discussed with a summary of lessons learned and continuous improvements planned. © 2002 The Authors.