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ARM Institute Announces Newly Endorsed Training Programs

The ARM Institute Endorsement program recognizes the nation’s most effective training programs and is facilitated through the Institute’s national workforce resource – RoboticsCareer.org. 

January 11, 2023 - The ARM Institute has announced that four more robotics training programs have been evaluated and selected to received ARM Endorsement. The training programs are from the following training providers: NCUS Tech, Motlow State Community College, SWPA Bots IQ, and Westmoreland County Community College. ARM Endorsement recognizes the nation’s most effective training programs for robotics careers in manufacturing. 

The ARM Institute is the nation’s leading collaborative in robotics and workforce innovation, working at the confluence of industry, government, and academia. Structured as a public-private partnership, the ARM Institute and its 380+ member organizations lead the way to a future where people and robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to develop and produce the world’s most desired products.

The ARM Endorsement Program was launched in conjunction with RoboticsCareer.org, the Institute’s national workforce resource. RoboticsCareer.org supports the U.S. workforce through each stage of their professional lives – from students exploring career options to incumbent workers looking to take the next step in their careers. 

The ARM Endorsement Program is a thorough evaluation process that identifies organizations that are the most effective at preparing students for careers in manufacturing working with robotics. With more than 16,700 training programs listed on RoboticsCareer.org, this guidance is critical to helping students, workers, and employers looking to upskill their workforce find the best match for their needs. The ARM Endorsement program was conceptualized and created through the ARM Institute’s 380+ member national consortium, giving equal voice to the need of manufacturers, education providers, and government stakeholders.

The criteria used to evaluate programs align with the ARM Institute’s robotics career pathways and competencies and evaluate both organizations and their programs based upon the following benchmarks:

• Relevance to the Industry
• Effective Curriculum
• Efficiency of the Training
• Impact of the Program
• Program Sustainability
• Transportability

Learn more about each of our newly endorsed programs below and on RoboticsCareer.org:

1. NCUS Tech: Columbus, OH The Handling Tool Operations and Programming certification course is an approved FANUC curriculum that prepares operators, technician and programmers to set up and record programs on a robot. The course covers the robot operations with the specific tasks required to set up applications, test and run programs.
2. Motlow State Community College: Tullahoma, TN This program provides the academic knowledge and practical experience necessary to prepare students for employment as a highly skilled mechatronics technician. The concentration is specifically provided for students who are interested in working as a technician in an integrated multidisciplinary industrial environment. 
3. SWPA Bots IQ: Pittsburgh, PA BotsIQ’s Robotics Technician Training pre-apprenticeship program offers a blended approach to learning. Online learning platforms are utilized to provide industry quality instruction supplemented with hands-on activities and projects to provide opportunity for the pre-apprentice to develop technical skills and competencies. Throughout the pre-apprenticeship, the BotsIQ teacher documents each student’s progress towards successfully mastering the program’s competencies.
4. Westmoreland County Community College: Youngwood, PA The robotics associate degree program designed to provide students with the knowledge they need to assist manufacturing, mechanical and electrical engineers in all phases of design, development, production, testing and operations. Graduates have the knowledge and skills required to manage, investigate, repair and troubleshoot automated systems with the aim of operational efficiency.

“Our nation’s ability to grow U.S. manufacturing is inhibited by a historic skills gap,” said Mary Ellen Rich, ARM Institute Certification Manager, “Effective training programs are critical to both recruiting the next generation of manufacturers and upskilling our current workforce. Congratulations to each of our Endorsed programs on this well-earned recognition.”

In addition to these newly-endorsed programs, the ARM Institute has also endorsed programs at the following organizations: Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy, Clover Park Technical College, Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), Fortress Academy, Horizon Science Academy Columbus High School (HSA), NC3 - National Coalition of Certification Centers,  Universal Robots, the University of Maryland, the University of Washington, Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), and Wichita State University, Department of Engineering Technology.

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Supporting the Workforce at All Career Stages

RoboticsCareer.org is a robust workforce solution that connects the full ecosystem needed to correct the skills and labor gap. RoboticsCareer.org houses the nation’s only database dedicated to training programs for robotics careers in manufacturing. Through digital profile creation, this resource provides personalized training recommendations that align directly to the education seeker’s desired career pathway. Learn how to use our guided education search here. 

In the near future, RoboticsCareer.org will also host jobs and, through digital profile functionality, match career seekers with accounts to jobs that match their skills and career goals.

Click here to join our RoboticsCareer.org mailing list to learn about new features and get workforce news sent to your inbox. 

ABOUT THE ARM INSTITUTE

The ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute is a Manufacturing USA® Institute sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004. The ARM Institute leverages a unique, robust, and diverse ecosystem of consortium members and partners across industry, academia, and government to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers large and small, train and empower the manufacturing workforce, strengthen our economy and global competitiveness, and elevate national security and resilience.  Based in Pittsburgh, PA since 2017, the ARM Institute is leading the way to a future where people & robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to produce the world’s most desired products. For more information, visit http://www.arminstitute.org and follow the ARM Institute on LinkedIn and Twitter.