A high school program that allows students to have hands-on experiences with robots and train for a future career at the same time – that’s exactly what FANUC America has been working to develop and has made into a reality through their Certified Education Program (CERT). Their long-term goal is that by offering these educational opportunities early they will help close the current skills gap in the manufacturing industry.
FANUC America customers were concerned that they had cutting-edge technology, but not the manpower of the past to keep their businesses running properly. This is why FANUC decided over ten years ago to begin working with industry educators to help develop classroom-ready materials and ensure students are prepared and excited for a career in technology. Students will not only be trained but also have the option to earn a certification that they will be able to use at an actual job.
“Now, we have a complete educational pathway that says here’s the curriculum to develop these occupational skills, here’s a certification that validates those skills, and here’s employers that are looking for those skills,” says Paul Aiello, Executive Director of Education for FANUC America.
By offering the CERT program as early as high school many students, who may not have a clear path for a career yet, will be introduced to skills and materials that otherwise they may never have known about. Some of the ready robots a classroom can train on include the LR Mate, ARC Mate, CRX Cobot, SCARA and DELTA. FANUC, along with their CERT partner school RAMTEC, have developed a two-year program to teach high school juniors and seniors the manufacturing skills they need and once they graduate will be able to obtain a career in the industry almost immediately.
Chances are if a student goes into this industry, they will be working on a FANUC robot or CNC, so learning about them as early as possible is key to getting hired. FANUC’s CERT program will introduce students to robotics, CNC and systems integration.
“If we offer these programs, students can take it as an elective, such as a language elective or computer coding class,” Aiello says. “If the students find that they like it and want to pursue it, that’s great. If they don’t, then we are helping them define what they do or don’t want to do.”
Hopefully, by introducing students to these manufacturing programs at a young age they will gain an understanding and desire to enter the field, closing the skills gap in the industry. Students will feel confident in their knowledge with the CERT certification and go straight into work or they can advance onto a 2+2 degree, such as a bachelor’s degree.
