How robots help to qualify for the workplace of the future

A push to automate is changing the way humans and machines work together. The number of industrial robots installed in factories reached about 3 million units worldwide in 2020 - more than doubling in ten years. The International Federation of Robotics has researched how robotics training shapes current and future workforce education, enhancing skills development for employees.

"Automating dull, dirty and dangerous tasks is changing job profiles of factory workers for the better," says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics. "Academies run by robot manufacturers play a key role in making this transition possible. Employers send thousands of workers to robotics training every year."

Robot manufacturers drive education

Robot manufacturers like ABB, FANUC, and KUKA all register between 10,000 and 30,000 participants in their robot classes across more than 30 countries every year. The training programs range from basic programming for the first-time user to complex workshops: "The automotive industry traditionally plays a leading role in upskilling workers for the use of robotics," says Gerhard Müller, Vice President Global Customer Services at KUKA. "Volkswagen, for example, decided to host one of our KUKA colleges directly at their headquarter factory in Wolfsburg, Germany.

"Training programs set up by international robot manufacturers provide key skills for the industrial workplace of the future," says Alexander Bongart, Head of the FANUC Academy Germany. "What participants learn in our headquarter school near Mount Fuji in Japan is what they also get in our training schools established in the United States, Europe or China.

As more industries move towards automation than ever before, robotics training also becomes part of public education in the US, Europe and Asia: "In China for example, ABB Robotic's cooperation with vocational schools dates back to 12 years ago," says Arno Strotgen of ABB`s Robotics & Discrete Automation business area. "Today, 700 vocational schools are part of the project. We use industrial robots for our trainings and provide 1,000 new robots every year, only to China.

Please find FULL TEXT press release and PHOTO at: Humans And Robots Go To School Together - International Federation of Robotics (ifr.org)

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