Robotics Education Strategy for the Economy

Successful workforce development and sustainable economic growth depend on close alignment of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, certification and training with the needs and expertise of industry leaders. Companies must provide the right products, technology and education to fill the gap between what the industry wants and what educational institutions can provide. Yaskawa Motoman (Miamisburg, OH) is addressing these critical needs with innovative products, curricula, training certification and services for education and industry.

“The challenge is for us to find ways to package our intellectual knowledge and make it available,” said Bob Graff, the senior sales manager of education. “We also need to make our solutions relevant to industry needs, content rich, comprehensive and easy to use in order to make students successful.” The company has developed dedicated curricula, programs, and hardware and software tools to deliver real-world industrial experiences in a classroom environment including:

STEM Robotics Platforms are complete, modular packages that enable instructors to teach robotics using the same equipment deployed in automation manufacturing plants. They feature standard industrial-grade components and comprehensive academic tools. Material handling and welding models are available.

EG-VRC for Education is a PC-based offline programming environment and robotics simulation tool that is designed specifically for K-16 schools, training organizations and education research institutions. It enables accurate 3D simulation of robot cells and simulates a fully functional production environment. Used with MotoSim Touch, students can toggle between a virtual programming pendant and a hardware pendant.

Yaskawa Academy Learning Management System (LMS) is a comprehensive, STEM-aligned curriculum that provides students with the academic core standards and 21st century skills required for careers in advanced manufacturing. In order to develop this new standard in workforce certification, the company partnered with FASTLANE, the Miami Valley’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership at the University of Dayton Research Institute, to align national and state STEM requirements for schools with our industrial robotics curriculum.

Three certification programs have been developed to meet the needs of educators:

1. Train-the-Trainer Program – Designed for instructors of K-12 students, career tech and college undergraduates. Provides the ability for schools to develop a student-based robotics certification course with focus on core robotics skills, or to expand an existing mechatronics robotics program.
2. MERIT Program – Designed for instructors of educational institutions and to        support workforce development certification with industry. Enables instructors to deliver the same curriculum and instructional model as Yaskawa Academy to local manufacturers.
3. Modified MERIT Program – Designed for instructors of K-12 students, career tech and college undergraduates with the option to upgrade to the MERIT Program.

Since it is vital that students have direct access to robotics technology, the company has formed partnerships with top educational organizations such as Sinclair Community College (Dayton, OH), RAMTEC Ohio (Marion, OH) and Vigo County School Corporation (Terre Haute, IN) in order to give more students that opportunity. Together with the educator community and Yaskawa Motoman Education Consortium (YMEC) partners, they are creating new and better workforce models and STEM  educational opportunities to support job creation, advance scientific discovery, enhance manufacturing capabilities and drive economic growth.

YMEC is a partnership among the best-in-class providers, not of the robot, but in peripherals, vision systems, enclosures, etc. By bringing together Cognex, Hobart, Miller, QC Industries, Schmalz, Schunk and Tregaskiss, they assure that training will be relevant and directly applicable to the industry.

Founded in 1989, the Motoman Robotics Division of Yaskawa America is a leading robotics company in the Americas. With over 300,000 Motoman® robots installed globally, Yaskawa provides automation products and solutions for virtually every industry and robotic application; including arc welding, assembly, coating, dispensing, material handling, material cutting, material removal, packaging, palletizing and spot welding.

www.motoman.com,  motoman.com/stem