I have been working with IBM AIX for almost 28 years, starting with v3.2.5. Over the years I have considered taking the various certification exams that IBM used to offer but never got around to organising it. AIX has recently been added to their Professional Certification Program so I decided it was time to test myself.

The final part of my marathon training block was the 2-day Oxygen Technician and Gas Blenders course. This started in the classroom, discussing Oxygen handling techniques and enriched breathing mixture (i.e. Nitrox or EANx)

There was no rest as I was straight into the Cylinder Testing Part 2 course, the first part of this having been covered in the DITC. The learning moved, as you might expect, to another level.

It was time to start putting everything we learnt during the course together. We each worked through a scenario where we were performing a Periodic Inspection and Test (PIAT) on an old aluminium cylinder. First was the recording of information from the cylinder:

Day 4 of the course and we were in the workshop tackling 1st stage disassembly and reassembly. First up were a Northern Diver and an Apeks DST, both diaphragm designs. The instructor took us through each step and then got us to do the same. The first one was a challenge but it worked well; no components were left over, it locked up correctly and there was no creep. The second one was easier, even with the differences between the two, but it too performed as expected.

I started my Dive Industry Technicians Course (DITC) with STATS 2000 in Morecambe today. There are 3 of us on the course; two of us are divers and the third works in a commercial diving environment.

Today I sat my Driving Theory Multiple Choice and Hazard Perception tests. The tests were held at the Pearson VUE testing centre in Oxford. I had been to their centre in Coventry to do my AWS certifications but the Oxford site was much nicer; cleaner with an air of being looked after. I’m pleased to say I passed both parts!

The good news is that my updated Driving License (with provisional Category C entitlement) and my Driver CPC card arrived in the post today. The not so good news is that the first available appointment for my Driving Theory Tests (Multiple Choice and Hazard Perception) is on Thursday 14 October! At least they are booked now.

Tachographs record information about driving time, speed and distance. They are used to make sure drivers and employers follow the rules on drivers’ hours. There are 2 types of tachograph; analogue and digital. All commercial vehicles first registered on or after 1 May 2006 must be fitted with digital tachographs. Otherwise you can use an analogue tachograph.

This week I have been completing my Driver Certificate of Professional Competency (CPC) course which leads to the issue of my Driver Qualification Card (DQC); if you drive a vehicle over 3.5 tonnes for work purposes (i.e. hire or reward) you are required to have a DQC.