Industrial Computing — TVE Advanced (ATVE)

What this syllabus is

Industrial Computing at Advanced Technical and Vocational Education (ATVE) level is a theory and practical subject in the Industrial Technical Education field, taught through the competency-based approach.

It builds directly on the Intermediate programme and aims to equip you to analyse, design, develop, implement, maintain and troubleshoot computer-based systems in industrial environments. It goes further than ITVE in programming, databases, networking, embedded systems, automation, industrial communication, cybersecurity and data processing.

How the course is organised

The syllabus lists 23 modules. SABI groups them into eight strands — the same strand names used for the Intermediate syllabus, so you can see exactly where the Advanced level goes deeper.

• Strand 1 — Advanced Systems and Administration (Modules 1, 2, 19)
• Strand 2 — Software Applications and Industrial Tools (Modules 3, 20)
• Strand 3 — Programming and Problem Solving (Modules 4, 5)
• Strand 4 — Databases and Web Technologies (Modules 6, 7)
• Strand 5 — Networks and Industrial Communication (Modules 8, 9)
• Strand 6 — Electronics and Embedded Systems (Modules 10, 11, 14)
• Strand 7 — Automation, PLCs, Control and HMI (Modules 12, 13, 15, 16)
• Strand 8 — Data, Intelligence, Security and Professional Practice (Modules 17, 18, 21, 22, 23)

Strand 1 — Advanced Systems and Administration

Modules 1, 2 and 19 move you from user to administrator: you must understand what the machine does internally and be able to run it for other people.

• Advanced architecture: CPU design, memory hierarchy, cache, RAM and storage technologies, RAID, peripheral interfaces, system buses, power management
• Virtualisation, industrial and embedded computers, system performance monitoring
• Operating systems: processes and threads, memory management, file systems, users, groups and permissions, services, device management, command-line administration, virtual machines
• System administration: storage management, network configuration, monitoring, backup, recovery, software deployment, remote administration, documentation
• Practical: assemble an advanced system, configure users and services, monitor performance, perform recovery

Strand 2 — Software Applications and Industrial Tools

Modules 3 and 20 cover the software a technician actually uses on the job, from office documents to engineering and production systems.

• Technical documentation, reports, tables, diagrams and page formatting
• Spreadsheets for industrial calculations, data analysis, charts, sorting and filtering
• CAD, CAM, engineering and technical drawing software, simulation software
• Maintenance-management, inventory-management and production-management systems
• Enterprise information systems and computer-integrated manufacturing
• Practical: produce a technical drawing, simulate an industrial process, build an inventory application, prepare computer-based maintenance records

Strand 3 — Programming and Problem Solving

Modules 4 and 5 are the academic core of the Advanced level. Expect object-oriented programming and algorithm analysis, not just working code.

• Programming paradigms: structured and object-oriented programming, classes and objects, encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism
• Arrays and collections, functions and procedures, file handling, exception handling, debugging, software testing, version control, development methodology
• Algorithm design and analysis, introduction to complexity
• Data structures: arrays, linked structures, stacks, queues, introduction to trees
• Searching and sorting algorithms, recursion, problem decomposition
• Practical: build a desktop application, connect it to a database, implement and compare sorting and searching algorithms

Strand 4 — Databases and Web Technologies

Modules 6 and 7 teach you to store industrial data properly and expose it through a web interface.

• Relational databases, entity-relationship modelling, primary and foreign keys, relationships, normalisation
• SQL: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, joins, aggregate functions, views, transactions
• Database security, backup and recovery; forms and reports
• Web architecture: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, forms, client-server model
• Web databases, server-side programming, authentication, web security, hosting
• Practical: design a workshop-management, student-management, inventory or production-record database; build a database-driven website

Strand 5 — Networks and Industrial Communication

Modules 8 and 9 split into two halves: standard IT networking, then the protocols specific to factory floors.

• OSI and TCP/IP models, Ethernet, IPv4 and IPv6, subnetting, switching, routing, VLANs, wireless networks
• Network services: DNS, DHCP, monitoring and troubleshooting
• Industrial communication: Industrial Ethernet, serial communication, RS-232, RS-485 and Modbus, CAN, fieldbus concepts
• Device-to-device, PLC and computer-to-controller communication; network diagnostics
• Practical: design a LAN, configure switches, routers, IP addressing and VLANs, establish serial communication between devices

Strand 6 — Electronics and Embedded Systems

Modules 10, 11 and 14 extend the ITVE electronics work into sequential logic, memories and full embedded applications.

• Digital electronics: number systems and codes, logic gates, truth tables, Boolean expressions, combinational and sequential logic circuits, memories
• Embedded systems: Arduino architecture, microprocessors, digital and analogue I/O, analogue-to-digital conversion, timers, interrupts, PWM, serial communication
• Sensor and actuator interfacing, embedded programming, real-time concepts, troubleshooting
• Arduino-to-PLC interfacing, relay isolation, optocouplers, signal conditioning, RS-485, Industrial Ethernet, safety
• Practical: program an Arduino, interface a temperature sensor, control a motor, build a sensor-monitoring system, interface Arduino to a PLC

Strand 7 — Automation, PLCs, Control and HMI

Modules 12, 13, 15 and 16 are what distinguishes Advanced Industrial Computing from general computer science. PLC ladder logic and HMI/SCADA design are examined in depth.

• Automated production systems: conveyors, motor control, automatic doors, traffic lights, water-level, temperature and pump control, packaging, sorting, basic robotics, computer-integrated manufacturing, Industry 4.0
• PLCs: architecture, CPU, input and output modules, power supply, programming device, scan cycle, digital and analogue I/O
• Ladder logic: contacts and coils, timers, counters, basic sequential control, troubleshooting and PLC safety
• Control systems: open-loop and closed-loop, sensors, actuators, controllers, feedback, set points, process variables, on/off control, PID concepts
• HMI and SCADA: architecture, process visualisation, tags, alarms, trends, data logging, user management, HMI-PLC communication
• Practical: write ladder programs with timers and counters, implement a closed-loop control simulation, design an HMI screen with alarms and trends

Strand 8 — Data, Intelligence, Security and Professional Practice

Modules 17, 18, 21, 22 and 23 cover what happens around the technology: the data it produces, the threats against it, and how you plan, document and present a solution.

• Data acquisition and processing: data sources, conversion, logging, storage, cleaning, analysis, statistics, visualisation, industrial reports, predictive maintenance
• Cybersecurity: threats, malware, phishing, password security, authentication and authorisation, firewalls, basic encryption, network security, industrial control-system security, policies and ethics
• Artificial intelligence and smart industry: machine learning, pattern recognition, predictive maintenance, computer vision, intelligent monitoring, robotics, smart manufacturing, Industry 4.0
• Systems analysis and design: requirements analysis, feasibility, functional and non-functional specifications, data-flow and entity-relationship diagrams, architecture, interface design, testing, implementation, maintenance, documentation
• Project management: objectives, planning, work breakdown, scheduling, resources, risk, cost estimation, quality control, documentation, presentation and evaluation; traditional versus Agile approaches

The integrated project

A stated objective of the programme is to design and implement integrated industrial computing projects and to document and present technical solutions professionally.

In practice this means one substantial piece of work that pulls several strands together — for example a sensor-fed database with an HMI screen, or a PLC-controlled process with computer monitoring. Choose your project early and keep a written record of requirements, design decisions, testing and results; the documentation carries marks of its own.

How to study this syllabus

Treat the Intermediate syllabus as assumed knowledge. If Strands 2, 6 and 7 of ITVE are shaky, repair them before starting the Advanced modules that build on them.

Strands 3, 4 and 7 carry the largest practical workload. Build something real in each: an application, a normalised database, and a working ladder-logic program.

Occupational safety, environmental and professional standards apply throughout, not only in the cybersecurity module.

Source and status

This overview follows the official Industrial Computing Teaching Syllabus for Advanced Technical and Vocational Education, published by the Ministry of Secondary Education, Inspectorate General of Education, Inspectorate of Pedagogy for Industrial Education, Republic of Cameroon.

Module titles, content lists and practical activities come from that document. The strand grouping is SABI's study structure, applied consistently across Industrial Computing resources.