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Mechatronics for Technologists and Technicians was recognized as an occupation by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2019 and was given the code 49-2094.00. In 2022 the occupation was migrated to the code 17-3024.00 and titled "Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians". Several organizations offer certifications in the mechatronics occupation that we list here. The major challenge that faces mechatronics education is the decline in the job market that is projected to stand at -2 % over the next decade for holders of bachelor’s or lower degrees. This is attributed to the post-pandemic remote work trend and the hard-hit manufacturing industry during the pandemic. This decline is coupled with an aggressive growth in the job market for holders of graduate degrees (standing at over 11% growth) due to the growing demand in research and innovation and engineering training. 

In this work we investigate the effectiveness of two train-the-trainer workshops on intelligent industrial robotics. The two workshops, which took place in summer 2021 in Tennessee and Alabama, were the first of a series of six workshops. A total of 32 persons applied to the two summer workshops from 10 states, of whom 15 attended and successfully completed the workshops. Evaluation results show that the participants’ knowledge on industrial robotics significantly improved after the workshops, and the vast majority indicated that the training will be used in their home institutions. The major challenge faced during the workshops was the spread of the delta variant of CoVid-19 at the time the workshops were scheduled to take place, and the wide diversity of the educational background of participants. 

In this work, we analyze the lessons learned from the CoVid-19 pandemic and the prospects of the science education that evolved as a result of the pandemic. The two primary shortcomings that arose during the pandemic include: the poor presence of cross-boundary and interdisciplinary research as evidenced by the urgency in establishing cross-boundary research groups in the early days of the pandemic, and the lack of understanding of the scientific method in the general public as evidenced, for example, by the worldwide Hydroxychloroquine events of 2020. An effective approach to solving these shortcomings is increasing innovative research at the two-year tertiary education level. The focus of continuing technical education will shift towards technologies that provide self-sufficiency, such as artificial intelligence, intelligent robotics, augmented reality, digital twins, and additive manufacturing. These features likely constitute the cornerstone of the upcoming science education paradigm, which we denominate “STEM 3.0”.