Power Partner Universities

The NFPA Power Partner Program is a workforce development initiative that showcases universities that collaborate with NFPA on programs designed to engage students from their freshman year of college to their senior year. These programs generate awareness about the fluid power industry and encourage hands-on application of hydraulic and pneumatic technology projects. Importantly, each Power Partner university has committed to teaching the ten core competencies that NFPA members identified as ones they would like to see in newly graduated engineering students entering the fluid power industry.

10 Fluid Power Core Competencies

Understand fluid power benefits and limitations
Conceptual and theoretical understanding of fluid power laws and principles (including energy transfer and power efficiency)
Understand fluid power components and circuits
Understand the impact of fluid properties, i.e., fluid viscosity, on fluid power system efficiency and performance.
Understand machine level requirements and translate into fluid power system requirements
Apply design, simulation and analysis tools to fluid power components and systems
Appropriately size components in fluid power systems
Integrate sensing and electronic control functions with fluid power components and systems
Cite hands-on experience with fluid power components and systems
Inspect, analyze and develop corrective action for product failure

Additional competencies have been identified involving general electrical/electronics, control systems, and data acquisition. Those can be found on the Curricula and Classroom Content page.

How to Engage:

Power Partners are established in 13 cities across the country. Each one:

Invites NFPA members speak about types of fluid power careers, salaries, job outlooks, the types of degrees needed for each job, etc.
Has a Fluid Power Club that conducts fluid power projects and connects with NFPA industry members for mentorship or tech talks.
Forms a team to participate in the Vehicle Challenge.
Hosts an Outreach and Recruitment event on their campus. These events are smaller than a traditional career fair and exclusively for NFPA members to attend. Events are scheduled at University of Cincinnati, Iowa State, and North Carolina A&T this year.