Educating Robot Maintenance and Repair Technicians to Address Workforce Gaps in Automation and Skilled Trades

Montcalm Community College, Sidney MI

Investigators

Abstract

As technological advances increase the demand for skilled workers in automation maintenance, local community colleges must educate and up-skill the technicians needed to keep local industries productive and competitive. This project will upgrade the automation program at Montcalm Community College to include robot maintenance and repair. Robot maintenance and repair technicians need the skills to maintain, correct, and repair robots so that automation operations can run efficiently and safely. In many cases, when a robot faults, it needs a human to correct its program and repair any damage. The ability of human technicians to troubleshoot and solve operation errors in robots keeps manufacturing processes running smoothly. The project will recruit new high school graduates and incumbent workers into the robot repair and maintenance field. It will provide these future technicians with hands-on learning experiences that build both the knowledge and skills that are needed for robot maintenance and repair. Professional development will be provided to enable current skilled trades faculty to learn to use new equipment and to earn relevant industry-validated credentials or certifications. Through interactions with local industry, the College will help employers find or educate workers to meet their robot maintenance and repair needs. The project includes a mobile advanced technology learning facility that is housed in a trailer. The trailer can be deployed at distant locations, enabling the College to meet robot maintenance/repair training needs of employers by bringing the classroom to the workplace. Project results and deliverables will be shared widely so successful practices can be adopted to meet growing demands for automation maintenance workers as robotics and automation expands. This project aims to develop a state-of-the-art curriculum in robot maintenance and repair that addresses the needs of local businesses and provides students with a pathway from high school into the skilled technical workforce. The project will build curricula that span from entry level to advanced level, to enable multiple entry points into the education needed to work in automation maintenance. To accomplish these goals, the project will educate and up-skill faculty to teach robot maintenance and repair. To better serve incumbent workers, the curriculum will be deliverable in a mobile advanced technology learning facility that can be deployed at workplaces. In addition, the mobile learning facility will also be used to host hands-on activities involving robots at local workforce development offices and adult education schools, with the expectation of engaging about 200 adults. The mobile learning facility will also be used at outreach events at schools and other venues to engage students in robot repair/maintenance activities and illustrate the rewards of a career in automation and manufacturing. It is expected that the outreach efforts will reach as many as 800 high school students and generate increased enrollment in automation programs. As a result, the project has the potential to increase the number of automation maintenance and related industrial workers who are available to fill more than 100 current openings in the local area. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.