Grads from NC’s Electronics and Electrical Engineering Technology students will be more prepared than ever to enter the workforce, thanks to the College’s plans to add FANUC robot operations to the curriculum.
Starting in December 2020, students of Electronics and Electrical Engineering Technology programs will graduate with their FANUC Robot Operators certification.
Electrical Engineering professors Sarah Rouillier and Frank DeChellis attended a 4-Day Robot Material Handler and Operator Course at the Fanuc Midwest in Hoffman Estates, Illinois in December. The training is the first step in becoming certified FANUC Robot Trainers.
Electrical Engineering professor Stefan Filion will also be starting the process in the spring. FANUC is consistently listed among the top 5 robot manufacturers and installers in the world.
“Our professional development at FANUC’s facility was three pronged; we participated in the FANUC certification process, we were able to experience the role of learners while another educator delivered the content that we will be delivering to our students, and we had numerous discussions with real world users who implement FANUC robots in their own automation environments,” said DeChellis.
In addition to training, the College is preparing for this shift by purchasing three new FANUC robots, acquired through the Grants Ontario Skills Catalyst Fund. NC is currently in possession of seven FANUC robots.
“We are pleased to have acquired three new FANUC robots, one of which is a collaborative robot, that will give students access to this technology,” said Fred Deys, Associate Dean of NC’s School of Technology. “These skills will position our graduates very well for jobs in the many hi-tech manufacturing facilities in Ontario.”
Together with training in Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Festo Modular Production System and now FANUC Robots, NC students will graduate well prepared to tackle careers in automation.
