Automate Working Development Day teaches students about career opportunities in robotics

Layla McMurtrie, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read
FANUC America robot is on display at the Automate convention at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit, Thurs., June 9, 2022.
FANUC America robot is on display at the Automate convention at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit, Thurs., June 9, 2022.

Robots are not taking over the world or taking away your jobs, but rather enhancing and helping the workforce, industry leaders say.

One robotics company has the goal to teach young adults more about the emerging technology.

"I run our education division and we are very passionate about targeting education to bring more awareness to career opportunities in today's world of automation," said Paul Aiello, executive director for industry and education engagement at FANUC America.

Automate, North America’s largest automation trade show, took the floor at Huntington Place in Detroit – the first time in this venue after two decades in Chicago.

FANUC, a Japanese company whose North American branch is located in Rochester Hills, was just one of more than 550 vendors at this year's convention showcasing their latest innovations to people looking to automation to help overcome labor shortages, increasing demands and disrupted supply chains.

“The options are nearly limitless, and by attending Automate and the activities offered exclusively to them, students can learn about the myriad job opportunities available to them now and in the future," said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation, which organizes the event.

While the event ran from June 6-9, Thursday was specifically for Workplace Development Day, a time for students, parents and educators to learn about current and future careers in robotics and automation.

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"It's an incredible experience to see what's out there," said Hannah Brood, robotics engineering student at Lake Superior State University. "You know it's going to be a huge event, then you walk in and see it surpasses anything you can imagine,"

Paul Aiello, director of education at FANUC America, shares his insights on careers in robotics on a panel during Autonate 2022: “Automation Career Pathways,” North America’s largest event on automation and robotics at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit on Thurs., June 9, 2022.
Paul Aiello, director of education at FANUC America, shares his insights on careers in robotics on a panel during Autonate 2022: “Automation Career Pathways,” North America’s largest event on automation and robotics at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit on Thurs., June 9, 2022.

Aiello and Brood, as well as APT Manufacturing Solutions controls engineer Devan Peters, spoke on the "Automation Career Pathways" panel at the convention Thursday.

"My transitional training was an online course and a monthlong classroom while still in the military and then when I got hired in I was still going through a training program with my employer," said Peters. "It was more on-the-job training, so I was learning what is being done in the industry, not learning the math and science behind it, but how to move and program a robot."

DeVan K. Peters, a controls engineer at APT Manufacturing Solutions and a veteran who started learning about automation during his career in the military, shares his thoughts on the value of robotics to handle labor shortages in this panel on automation career pathways at Automate 2022, North America's largest event on automation and robotics.
DeVan K. Peters, a controls engineer at APT Manufacturing Solutions and a veteran who started learning about automation during his career in the military, shares his thoughts on the value of robotics to handle labor shortages in this panel on automation career pathways at Automate 2022, North America's largest event on automation and robotics.

FANUC wants to engage students and teach them about the variety of career paths that robotics offers, something the company has been doing for the last 12 years.

"We've invested over $75 million into more than 1,500 schools nationwide to make sure they had a real industrial robotics program to introduce students," said Aiello.

Free registration for anyone ages 12 and older allowed students to tour the show floor and see all the latest automation technologies on display and gain insights from industry leaders on how to take advantage of career opportunities.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Automate Working Development Day is a learning experience for students