The automobile has taken over the mobile phone’s pole position as the driver of new semiconductor technologies, like machine learning and vision processing. As a result, many electrical engineers in the semiconductor industry are finding themselves in a state of transition where their current skills, education, and experience are not sufficient for them to achieve the kind of role they would like on design teams targeting this new space.

The good news is that there are many ways one can educate themselves on the technologies that underpin this new revolution, either by taking additional free or paid college courses after work or online, or simply Googling and reading a lot. Doing this will get you all you need to know about foundational autonomous-driving technologies like neural networks, machine learning, and vision processing.

But what about the one “table stakes” automotive-specific set of knowledge required for all safety-related automobile chips, functional safety?

After being asked to publish this many times, I’ve appended below a list of companies that provide ISO 26262 functional safety training courses for individuals and groups, with course cost, codes, and contact info, where available. The training types are sorted into three “buckets”: (1) Free resources, (2) Online for-fee courses, and, (3) In-person courses.

Obtaining this training is the only efficient way for an individual or work group to quickly learn about the processes and requirements of ISO 26262. I hope you find this list useful, and have a happy holiday season!

Free ISO 26262 training resources

	Texas Instruments & Exida (3.5-hours on-demand videos, FREE) This is the best set of free ISO 26262 training I have found on the Internet. It was created by TI and one of their functional safety consulting partners, Exida (see below). You can access the videos here (you may have to sign up for an account for the ti.com site). You can also download the 61-slide PowerPoint training materials here.
	SGS-TÜV Saar (2-hour webinar, FREE) SGS-TÜV Saar has a comprehensive list of training courses available at your worksite or theirs (see below), but in addition they have a free 2-hour introductory webinar that explains ISO 26262 basics. The next class is March 4, 2017. Sign up here.

Online, for-fee courses

SAE (4.5 hour webinar, $425.00) SAE International, formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers, offers an online webinar taught by Joe Miller, who is chairman of the United States Technical Advisory Group to ISO TC22/SG3/WG16, which provides US input into the ISO 26262 specification. The next class is March 21-23, 2017. Sign up here.

In-person ISO 26262 Training and Certification Courses for Individuals and Teams

These are the paid in-person courses. Expect to pay at least a few thousand dollars per person. You can arrange to take them as an individual, or contact the companies to get a quote for a group training, either at your worksite or their office. By the way, “TÜV” are German organizations that validate safety. They have expanded worldwide (obviously).

All these companies offer training in English, as well as other languages. See the links below for details.

	Resiltech Based near Pisa, Italy, Resiltech offers corporate ISO 26262 training and consultancy services. They participate in the ISO 26262 and AUTOSAR specification working groups. Download a brochure and contact Resiltech here.
	Exida Exida is a well-known functional safety consultancy with expertise in automotive semiconductors and embedded systems. Sign up for on-site or public classes of “Automotive ISO 26262: Road Vehicles Functional Safety” (Course Code: AUT 211).
	TÜV Nord TÜV Nord is a huge organization that offers technical training and certifications for a broad range of industries. Here is a brochure on their person certification program. They have three tiers for individual certification. KVA offers a training course in the US in partnership with TÜV Nord. The cost is $3,295 for 4 days, and the next course is Jan 30-Feb 2, 2017. Sign up here.
	TÜV Rheinland TÜV Rheinland is another huge German-based company that offers worldwide ISO 26262 training and individual certification. They offer a four-day course for 2,300 Euros and a shorter 3-day course for 1,980 Euros. Link to Automotive System Design according to ISO 26262 (€ 2.300, 4-day, maximum of 12 people) For prospective Functional Safety managers, sign up for Automotive Safety Manager according to ISO 26262 (€ 1.980, 2-day training, 1-day exam, maximum of 12 people)
	SGS-TÜV Saar SGS-TÜV Saar has a comprehensive list of training courses, available at your worksite or theirs. Sign up for classes here.
	TÜV Sud TÜV Sud offers a 3-level ISO 26262 functional safety certification program for individuals. Certification levels are Engineer, Professional, and Expert. Sign up for classes here. Download the brochure here.