As the world advances around us, it brings evolution that can’t be avoided. Technology influences business and as businesses lurch after the modernization through new tech, there comes a need for innovation in their own sectors.
Simply put, there’s money in utilizing new tech. There are profits in new industry standards- but there must be a supply to match it.
This supply, the valuable workers ushering poised to usher in the new frontier, are learning their trade through rapidly expanding, manufacturing specific university-based programs and colleges. And the demand is booming.
A Google search for ‘robotics and automation manufacturing programs’ yields 1,480,000 results. The entire first page alone links to only .edu sources:
The Center for Manufacturing Excellence at Lansing Community College,
Which offers hands-on training in Robotics and Automation, Computer Automated Design, Precision Machining, and Welding. Students can obtain basic or advanced certificates or Associate’s Degree. Teaching towards gainful employment is a major aspect of each program.
Robots and Automation Technology at the University of Northwestern Ohio-
Degree programs include Automotive Technology, Automotive Technology Supervision, and Robotics & Automation Technology. The programs here boast small classroom sizes, maxing out at twenty, giving each student the best possible chance to succeed.
Lakeshore Technical College partners with businesses and employers who offer apprenticeships to students, bridging the gap between education and employment
Hennepin Technical College is officially certified in training and educating with FANUC Robotics Material Handling Program Software.
The Ohio State University offers a Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence, where students complete programs specifically curated with automation and robotics in mind. They espouse four key values: multi industry collaboration, commercialization of tech and associated products, workforce development, and regional economic growth.
At the Center for Manufacturing Innovation at Greenville Technical College, students can get hands on experience anywhere from industrial automation to robotics and mechatronics to manufacturing design. Certificates available include Computer Numerical Control Machine Operator Certification in Applied Science, Computer Numerical Control Programmer Certification in Applied Science, and so on.
The list goes on for pages, and the options for education are just as endlessly customizable.
Technology does not regress- when something as crucial to a manufacturer’s bottom line ignites the industries of automation and robotics, there is no turning back with advancement is in sight. In a world where manufacturers can modernize through mechanization- improving quality and reducing errors and time through automation and robotics- there’s no choice but for competing manufacturerers to utilize the greatest tools at their disposal for keeping ahead of- or riding along- the wave. The necessary component to their success, of course, are the workers (future and current) specializing in automation and robotics.
With so much growth occurring in a relatively small timeframe- growth that shows no signs of stopping- these resources are needed to keep up. Wherever innovation expands so to do the needs, however niche, of whatever industry stands to benefit from it. And the explosion of education opportunities in automation and robotics are manufacturers answer to the growing demand for a rapidly expanding industry. The labs and programs are poised to reshape a field that continues to find its footing on the cutting edge.
And the job demand really is limitless. An increase in educational opportunities can only indicate an increase in opportunities overall- with hundreds of universities offering tailor made introductions to them.