# Working Paper · The Bench Plan

**Status:** Speculative working paper — planning record, not a commitment. Figures are planning models, not audited forecasts.
**Synthesized:** 2026-06-12, from `docs/products/training-services/hamilton-training-model.md`, `docs/products/training-services/training-financial-model.md`, `docs/courses/clark-courses.md`, `docs/courses/README.md` (curriculum map), and `project/04-research-deepening.md`.
**Companion to:** Field Report 001, "A bench."

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## 1. What this paper is

Field Report 001 proposes one working electronics assembly and training bench as Clark's first physical move. This paper is the operating plan behind that sentence: where the bench lives, what is taught at it, what it costs, what it earns, and how one bench becomes a training operation that a region can lean on. It is published as a working paper in keeping with the protocol's evidence rule — readers should be able to inspect the plan, not just the claim.

## 2. The facility

The working plan places Clark's first training operation inside a host facility: a designated co-location footprint within Niagara Assembly's Hamilton site at 24 Clark Ave (the street name is a coincidence we have decided to enjoy).

- **First-phase footprint:** ~4,500 sq ft, split functionally in three: the front two portions led and activated by Clark for training, Clark Courses delivery, demonstration, and mixed teaching-and-testing use; the back third reserved for the host's specialized low-batch testing and flashing hub.
- **Upside option:** roughly 5,000 additional sq ft on the main level exists at the property; treated strictly as future option value, not launch footprint.
- **Why a host facility and not a community venue:** live soldering needs ESD control, fume extraction, and insurance. A working manufacturer's floor handles these as a matter of course; a community hall does not. The host pattern also delivers the pedagogical asset no classroom can fake — instruction within metres of real production.

The bench itself — the public-facing teaching cell — is equipped to industry standard for roughly $10–25K: ESD bench, Mantis-class inspection scope (~$4–6K), JBC/Metcal-grade iron and hot-air stations ($1–4K/station), fume extraction, test gear, and a camera-and-display rig so observation is a designed experience, not an accident. Comparators: a 20-station lab runs $100–300K+; recently funded mobile training labs run $0.5–1.2M. The bench is 20–50× cheaper than the institutional alternative.

## 3. What is taught — the two credential layers

### Layer 1: IPC certification (the industry's credential)

The first training bundle centres on the certifications the electronics industry actually checks for, delivered in partnership with the established certification ecosystem (EPTAC partnership pathway):

- IPC-A-610 Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) — acceptability of electronic assemblies
- IPC-A-610 Certified Standards Expert (CSE)
- Hand Soldering Certification
- Hands-on Cable and Wire Harness Lab (EPTAC)
- IPC-A-610 Certified IPC Trainer (CIT) — the train-the-trainer path

Sequencing follows the bench's physics: A-610 (inspection, lecture-based) fits the one-bench theatric format and runs first; J-STD-001 soldering modules follow with small cohorts (4–6), secondary practice irons, and evening rotation blocks, because per-student demonstrated soldering is the binding constraint on one bench. The CIT path targets experienced professionals who want to become trainers — each CIT graduate multiplies regional teaching capacity, which is the actual scarce resource.

Graduates of IPC courses are described plainly as IPC-certified. Clark does not blur or replace the IPC credential.

### Layer 2: Clark Courses (the context curriculum)

Around the certifications sits Clark's own 16-course curriculum — not orientation fluff, but a rigorous industry-literacy program from entry to advanced practice. This is the "direct access to education about industrial and resource economies" claim of Field Report 001 made concrete: students learn not just how to make a joint but how the industry that needs the joint actually works.

**Level 1 — Foundations** (5 courses, no prerequisites):

| Code | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CC-L1-01 | The Electronics Manufacturing Industry — History, Scale, and Structure | Full day |
| CC-L1-02 | The Printed Circuit Board — Anatomy, Materials, and Fabrication | Full day |
| CC-L1-03 | Components — A Visual and Technical Survey | Full day |
| CC-L1-04 | The Assembly Process — From Bare Board to Finished Product | Full day |
| CC-L1-05 | Quality and Standards — Why IPC Exists and What It Demands | Full day |

**Level 2 — Professional Practice** (6 courses, for people in active roles):

| Code | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CC-L2-01 | SMT Assembly in Depth — Equipment, Process Control, Defect Modes | 2 days |
| CC-L2-02 | Through-Hole, Mixed Technology, and Selective Processes | Full day |
| CC-L2-03 | Inspection and Test — AOI, X-ray, ICT, Flying Probe, Functional Test | Full day |
| CC-L2-04 | The Supply Chain and BOM — How Electronics Actually Gets Made | Full day |
| CC-L2-05 | Industry Verticals — Medical, Defense, Automotive, Consumer, Industrial | Full day |
| CC-L2-06 | New Product Introduction — DFM, First Articles, and the Pilot Run | Full day |

**Level 3 — Advanced Topics** (5 courses, for specialists and future instructors):

| Code | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CC-L3-01 | Class 3 Workmanship — High-Reliability for Defense and Aerospace | 2 days |
| CC-L3-02 | Advanced Packaging — BGA, CSP, QFN, Flip-Chip, HDI | Full day |
| CC-L3-03 | Regulatory and Compliance — ITAR, Controlled Goods, ISO 13485, AS9100 | Full day |
| CC-L3-04 | Embedded Systems in the Manufacturing Context — Firmware and Provenance | Full day |
| CC-L3-05 | Building and Running a Training Program — the delivery-partner gateway | 2 days |

Totals: 16 courses, 21 instructional days for one full pass. CC-L3-05 is the ladder's top rung made institutional: it is how graduates become licensed delivery partners — the route by which the curriculum propagates to other nodes without Clark teaching every class forever.

Completion of the Clark curriculum carries the **Clark Certified** designation — a separate, Clark-branded achievement layer, never a substitute for IPC credentials. Verifiable, shareable digital records (Open Badges 3.0 / W3C Verifiable Credentials via an established platform) target end of year 1; blockchain anchoring is treated as an option if it ever solves a real problem, not a day-one requirement.

### The recommended pathway

Foundations (CC-L1) → IPC CIS → Professional Practice (CC-L2) as the role develops → Advanced Topics (CC-L3) + Class 3 certification for high-reliability careers → CC-L3-05 for those who will teach. Watch, assist, build, run something, then certify the next cohort — the ladder, with course codes.

## 4. The business model

### Revenue architecture (four commercial modes)

1. **Per-seat public cohorts** — fixed calendar, open enrolment; Foundations priced for individuals, upper levels for employer sponsorship. Public cohorts capped at 16; private at 20 per instructor.
2. **Private cohort licensing** — annual contracts with EMS/OEM clients for a defined number of delivery days, with curriculum customization from the client's own product types and quality history; delivered at their facility or in Hamilton.
3. **Curriculum licensing** — colleges, apprenticeship programs, and workforce organizations license the curriculum with instructor training and update cycles. This is the scale mechanism — and, in the current college contraction, the partnership offer: a college that can no longer afford to run its own electronics program can license one that is already maintained.
4. **Corporate subscription** — annual agreements for employers with continuous onboarding: unlimited Foundations access, allocated Professional Practice seats, discounted Advanced Topics.

Market reference pricing for the certification layer: IPC-A-610 CIS at $700–1,200/student; A-610 + J-STD-001 packages $1,400–2,300; recertification at 60–70%; team/on-site programs from ~$10K.

### Host-facility economics (the beta deal)

The co-location model uses a deliberately simple hybrid — fixed fees calibrated to volume plus a revenue share computed after direct instructional costs only (instructor compensation, travel, consumables, third-party certification fees; no Clark overhead in the base):

| Delivered courses/month | Fixed monthly facility fee | Revenue share of contribution margin |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | CAD 1,250 | 12% |
| 3–4 | CAD 2,500 | 10% |
| 5+ | CAD 4,000 | 8% |

The structure is designed to be auditable in an afternoon. The beta goal is operational simplicity, not transfer-pricing optimization.

### Planning scenarios

Core assumptions: Year 1 average class of 8 (Year 2: 9); blended revenue per student CAD 1,100/1,200/1,350 (conservative/base/optimistic), rising to CAD 1,150/1,300/1,500 in Year 2; direct instructional cost rate ~55% Year 1, ~52% Year 2.

**Year 1:**

| Metric | Conservative | Base | Optimistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courses delivered | 14 | 22 | 34 |
| Student-events | 112 | 176 | 306 |
| Gross revenue | CAD 123,200 | CAD 211,200 | CAD 413,100 |
| Contribution after direct costs | CAD 55,440 | CAD 95,040 | CAD 185,895 |
| Host fixed + rev-share | CAD 14,294 | CAD 32,504 | CAD 47,872 |
| **Net Clark contribution** | **CAD 41,146** | **CAD 62,536** | **CAD 138,023** |

**Year 2** (richer CIT and Clark Courses mix):

| Metric | Conservative | Base | Optimistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total courses + modules | 24 | 40 | 60 |
| Student-events | 190 | 330 | 540 |
| Gross revenue | CAD 218,500 | CAD 429,000 | CAD 810,000 |
| **Net Clark contribution** | **CAD 66,892** | **CAD 145,328** | **CAD 309,696** |

**Break-even floor:** about two 8-student courses (~12–16 students) per month against ~CAD 8,738 of monthly fixed costs — roughly CAD 17,600 gross monthly. The model's honest conclusion: training reaches direct operating break-even quickly at modest volume, and the binding risk is instructor readiness and delivery capacity, not the fee structure.

### Revenue mix priority

1. IPC CIS and early-volume certification courses (cash and credibility)
2. CIT / train-the-trainer (highest value — every graduate multiplies capacity)
3. Clark Courses public and private cohorts (strongest long-term margin once curriculum cost is amortized)
4. Curriculum licensing (the scale layer, deliberately last)

## 5. Governance and responsibility split

- Clark owns service delivery, the brand, training standards, instructor contracting, instructor liability, and training-process compliance.
- The host facility owns the footprint, facility safety and site procedures, and trainee-injury/equipment-damage responsibility at the facility level.
- An Advisory Group (regional university representation, certification-ecosystem representation, local industry) receives monthly updates and convenes quarterly — a working group with outside eyes, not an approval body. Clark retains operational and standards control.

## 6. First-twelve-months priorities

1. Generate real revenue through IPC-related training (the protocol's "capability demonstrated" proof).
2. Build direct workforce capability for the host and the surrounding region.
3. Deliver the credential + context mix rigorously enough that students, employers, and academic partners respect both layers.
4. Establish the repeatable operating template — the bench plan as a document another town can run.
5. Prove replicability well enough to support licensing — the moment one bench becomes a network question, the Counterweight File takes over.

## 7. Open items

- Final seat pricing by course family; private-cohort day rates; licensing fee structure.
- Instructor pipeline: CIT certification for the first instructor is the critical-path upfront cost; budget it first.
- The Clark Certified record format and verification workflow (conventional digital issuance first).
- Conversion telemetry: Clark Courses ↔ IPC pathway conversion rates are unknown until cohorts run. Instrument from day one.