Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Vocational Task-Engine Course Design agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The Vocational Task-Engine Course Design skill is a set of instructions that tells an AI agent to plan a training course as a hands-on work task rather than a lecture. It is written for instructional designers, trainers and OpenMAIC developers who build courses for trades, industrial or clinical procedures and certification skills. After this guide you will know what the skill changes, how to install it, how to trigger it with a request, and what it needs to run.
Vocational Task-Engine Course DesignTHU-MAIC/OpenMAIC · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the skill ZIP from this directory page and unzip it. It contains SKILL.md and outline-constraints.json.
- 2Place the folder. Copy the unzipped folder to ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or to the project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, and upload the skill under Skills.
- 4Confirm your environment. Make sure you have an OpenMAIC course-generation environment that can render the procedural-skill widget and read the outline JSON.
- 5Make a task-based request. Describe a real occupational task, piece of equipment, procedure or certification skill in plain language.
- 6Review the outline. Check each hands-on stage for tools, ordered steps, measurable success criteria and error consequences.
- 7Get expert sign-off. Have a qualified expert verify all procedures and thresholds before any learner relies on the course.
What the skill makes the agent do
When the skill is loaded, the agent designs a practice sequence for a real occupational task. The course follows the order a technician would actually work: preparation and equipment check, the operation itself step by step, verification or measurement, and a handover or completion check.
The opening slide is a task briefing covering the work task, its boundary, the training objective, key steps, the safety boundary and the completion criteria. Body scenes are hands-on stages marked as procedural-skill widgets. Each one lists tools, ordered steps, success criteria and the consequences of mistakes. At least one quiz is a GO/STOP checkpoint, asking the learner whether to proceed, recheck or stop when a reading or condition is abnormal.
- Opens with one task briefing slide, not a history or definitions page
- At least three hands-on scenes built on the procedural-skill widget
- At least one GO/STOP decision quiz rather than a vocabulary quiz
- Closes on completion criteria, not a concept summary
Install the skill from the ZIP
Download the ZIP for this skill from the directory page, then unzip it. The package contains two files: SKILL.md, which holds the instructions the agent reads, and outline-constraints.json. Place the unzipped folder in one of two locations depending on how you work.
For a personal setup, put it in your skills folder at ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, put it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder. If you use the Claude apps instead, open Settings, go to Capabilities, and upload the skill under Skills.
- Personal use: ~/.claude/skills/
- One project only: the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
Trigger the skill with a natural request
The agent decides whether to use the skill from the description, so you do not need a special command. Ask for a course in plain language and name the real task, the equipment, the procedure or the certification. The skill is meant for requests that contain an actual occupational task.
Requests that name a concrete job or piece of equipment work well. Vague requests about a broad field are less likely to produce the task-based structure, so add the tools or the procedure you want covered.
- "Design a training course for replacing a pump seal on a centrifugal pump, with lockout steps and pass criteria."
- "Build a certification practice course for insulation resistance testing on a low-voltage switchboard, including GO/STOP decisions for abnormal readings."
- "Plan a clinical procedure training for aseptic dressing changes with a handover check."
What the skill needs to run
The skill only produces course content. It needs an OpenMAIC course-generation environment that can render the procedural-skill widget and read the outline JSON. It also needs an AI agent that can load SKILL.md instructions.
The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to its listing.
- An OpenMAIC course-generation environment that renders the procedural-skill widget and reads outline JSON
- An AI agent that loads SKILL.md
Safety notes before you use the output
The skill generates training text. It does not produce verified procedures for live equipment, electrical work or clinical care. Treat its output as a draft for expert review. Errors in generated steps, thresholds or safety boundaries could cause harm if a learner or trainer treats them as the authority.
Do not use the skill for purely theoretical or academic topics such as maths derivations or literature. In that case the skill tells the agent to fall back to an ordinary course, and forcing procedures onto those subjects gives weak content.
- Have a qualified expert check every step, measurement threshold and safety boundary
- Do not use generated content as the reference for live electrical, industrial or clinical work
- Expect an ordinary course instead of a procedural one for non-vocational requests
Tips for better course outlines
Give the agent the specifics it needs to fill the widget fields: the task, the tools or PPE, the pass criteria and the consequences you care about. Ask for varied hands-on stages. The skill is written to avoid repeating one checklist, so you can request inspection sheets, measurement dashboards, step ordering or fault triage as framings.
Review the outline JSON against the widget contract before publishing. Check that every successCriteria entry names a threshold, reading or state rather than understanding of a concept.
- Name the real equipment, tools and certification standard you are targeting
- Ask for at least one abnormal reading scenario to test GO/STOP judgement
- Check that each stage's success criteria are measurable
What people use it for
- Building a workplace training course for a trade such as electrical maintenance or pump repair
- Designing a certification practice course with GO/STOP decisions on abnormal readings
- Creating interactive procedural scenes for an OpenMAIC course on an industrial procedure
- Drafting a clinical procedure training outline with a handover check, reviewed by clinical staff
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the vocational agent skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. Put the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What do I need to run the vocational skill?
You need an OpenMAIC course-generation environment that can render the procedural-skill widget and read the outline JSON, plus an AI agent that loads SKILL.md instructions. The listing says it runs no scripts and uses no network.
Is the vocational skill free?
This listing states the skill is released under the MIT licence. This page does not state any price, so check the directory listing for current terms.
Can I use it for theory subjects like maths or literature?
No. The skill is for procedures with tools, equipment state and pass or fail judgements. For purely theoretical topics, the skill tells the agent to produce an ordinary course instead.
Can I rely on the generated procedures for real equipment or clinical care?
No. The skill generates training text, not verified procedures for live equipment, electrical work or clinical care. A qualified expert should review every step before anyone relies on it.
Why isn't the agent using the skill for my request?
The skill is triggered by requests that name a real occupational task, equipment, a clinical or industrial procedure, or a certification skill. Add those specifics to your request and make sure the skill folder is in the correct skills location.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you build workplace, technical or certification training and want courses structured as ordered tasks with tools, measurable pass criteria and GO/STOP checkpoints. Pick something else if your topic is theoretical, or if you need verified procedures for live equipment, electrical or clinical work, since the output needs expert review before anyone relies on it.
Download the skill