5.1 The purpose of this guide is to provide, at the undergraduate college level, a basic educational structure in the infrastructure aspects of nanotechnology to organizations developing or carrying out education programs for the nanotechnology workforce. This guide helps to describe the minimum knowledge base for anyone involved in nanomanufacturing or nanomaterials research.

5.2 The basic education should prepare an individual for varied roles in the nanotechnology workplace. The material in this guide may require a post-secondary two-year science or technology background to be understood sufficiently.

5.3 Workers may transition in their roles in the workplace. Participants in such education will have a broad understanding of a complement of topics related to the infrastructure required for advanced research and manufacturing, thus increasing their marketability for jobs within as well as beyond the nanotechnology field.

5.4 Because nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field, the individual educated in nanotechnology needs to be cognizant of changing and evolving safety procedures and practices. Individuals should be aware of how to maintain an up-to-date understanding of the technology and have sufficient base education to enable the synthesis of emerging or evolving safety procedures and practices.

5.5 This guide is intended to be one in a series of standards developed for workforce education in various aspects of nanotechnology. It will assist in providing an organization a basic structure for developing a program applicable to many areas in nanotechnology, thus providing dynamic and evolving workforce education.

1.1 This document provides guidelines for basic workforce education in the infrastructure topics related to nanotechnology to be taught at an undergraduate college level. This education should be broad to prepare an individual to work within one of the many areas in nanotechnology research, development, or manufacturing. The individual so educated may be involved in material handling, manufacture, distribution, storage, use, or disposal of nanoscale materials.

1.2 This guide may be used to develop or evaluate an education program for the infrastructure used in the nanotechnology field. This guide provides listings of key topics that should be covered in a nanotechnology education program on this subject, but it does not provide specific course material to be used in such a program. This approach is taken in order to allow workforce education entities to ensure their programs cover the required material while also enabling these institutions to tailor their programs to meet the needs of their local employers.

1.3 While no units of measurements are used in this guide, values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard.

1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the methods and concepts pertaining to the infrastructure for nanotechnology. It may not cover knowledge and skill objectives applicable to local conditions or required by local regulations.

1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.