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This project, supported by NSF ATE (award#2202107), aims to serve the national interest by addressing the shortage of technicians possessing the skills to maintain programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and robots in the service industries. Vaughn College program offers a PLC and Robotic Automation (PRA) Technician Certificate, consisting of 13 credits. It prepares technicians for roles in diverse service industries such as wholesale and retail, pharmaceuticals, food, and beverage, as well as airport baggage and cargo handling [1][2][3]. Additionally, all credits earned through the certificate program are transferable to the college's Mechatronic Engineering program. The college, designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, places a strong emphasis on recruiting students from low-income families and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. The certificate program alleviates the financial burden and time commitment required for students to pursue education, providing them with the means to pursue advanced degrees or offer support to family members seeking greater opportunities. The project’s objective is to establish a one-year certificate program to provide PRA technicians with the essential skills for service industries. To ensure program graduates possess the desired qualifications, the project (a) collaborates with its Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) to identify industry needs and develop a curriculum to address them; (b) supports faculty in obtaining training and industry certifications; (c) recruits both high-school graduates, incumbent workers, and college students through newly developed informational materials. Additionally, to enhance diversity within the PRA Technician workforce, the program will collaborate with the college’s existing initiatives to attract more female and racial and ethnic minorities. Advancements in the comprehension of technical education for service industries are disseminated through the college website and presented at regional and national conferences [4].
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Development and Implementation of Teleoperated Robotic Workcell to Enable Remote Robotic Training for Students and Industry Representatives
Online education is on the rise in the US and abroad and provides a convenient form of knowledge transfer to people who cannot be full- and or even part-time students at community colleges or universities. This factor impacts industry representatives, displaced workers, and low-income learners. Usually, online education consists of online lectures and/or tutorials designed so users can comprehend the studied subject. The missing piece of online education is the lack of hands-on activities. To address this issue, Michigan Tech and West Shore Community College collaborate on researching, developing, and implementing a State-of-the-Art Teleoperated Robotic Workcell (TRW) to enable enhanced remote training for industrial robots. The system is designed to provide training opportunities to college students, industry representatives, and displaced workers wishing to retool their skills and become more competitive in the job market.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2322532
- PAR ID:
- 10541206
- Publisher / Repository:
- CIEC ASEE Conference Proceedings
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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null (Ed.)Our community college will utilize funds from an NSF ATE grant to develop and integrate and innovative teaching model designed to prepare future technicians for industry by incorporating soft skills training, career exploration, and entrepreneurship. This collaborative model will formally connect our Center for Workforce Development (CWD) sector with our for-credit engineering technology program, our Business and Innovation Department and with our educational partners. This innovative project will enable our college to strengthen our technician education programs, formalize connections with CWD and our Business and Innovation Department, and prepare students for industry jobs through shadowing opportunities, employment, entrepreneurship, internships, and real-world, collaborative outreach. Our community college will collaborate with our Industry Advisory Board (IAB), CWD, and educational partners to (a) integrate an innovative teaching model for technician education that includes a formalized shadowing and internship program and connects students to opportunities in business and entrepreneurship; (b) require students to take a manufacturing laboratory course to introduce hands-on industry-related experiences; (c) include certifications that award digital badges, military training, and industry experience in our engineering technology program. It is our intention that this model for an enhanced educational experience designed to increase workforce readiness of students will become a blueprint for other programs and institutions.more » « less
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
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