Yaskawa Motoman’s Strategy for Robotics Education is Strategy for the Economy

Miamisburg, OH, April 01, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Successful workforce development and sustainable economic growth depend on close alignment of STEM education, certification and training with the needs and expertise of industry leaders. Organizations must provide the right products, technology and education to fill the gap between what the industry wants and what educational institutions can provide. Yaskawa Motoman is addressing these critical needs with innovative products, curricula, training certification and services for education and industry.

“The challenge is for us to find ways to package our intellectual knowledge and make it available,” said Bob Graff, senior sales manager, education. “We also need to make our solutions relevant to industry needs, content rich, comprehensive and easy to use in order to make students successful.”

Yaskawa Motoman has developed dedicated curricula, programs, and hardware and software tools to deliver real-world industrial experiences in a classroom environment including:
· STEM Robotics Platforms – Complete, modular packages that enable instructors to teach robotics using the same equipment deployed in automation manufacturing plants. They feature standard industrial-grade components and comprehensive academic tools. Material handling and welding models are available.
· MotoSim® EG-VRC for Education - PC-based offline programming environment and robotics simulation tool that is designed specifically for K-16 schools, training organizations and education research institutions. It enables accurate 3D simulation of robot cells and simulates a fully functional production environment. Used with MotoSim Touch, students can toggle between a virtual programming pendant and a hardware pendant.
· Yaskawa Academy Learning Management System (LMS) – Comprehensive, STEM-aligned curriculum that provides students with the academic core standards and 21st century skills required for careers in advanced manufacturing. In order to develop this new standard in workforce certification, Yaskawa Motoman partnered with FASTLANE, the Miami Valley’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership at the University of Dayton Research Institute, to align national and state STEM requirements for schools with our industrial robotics curriculum.

· Three certification programs to meet the needs of educators:
o Train-the-Trainer Program - Designed for instructors of K-12 students, career tech and college undergraduates. Provides the ability for schools to develop a student-based robotics certification course with focus on core robotics skills, or to expand an existing mechatronics robotics program.
o MERIT Program - Designed for instructors of educational institutions and to support workforce development certification with industry. Enables instructors to deliver the same curriculum and instructional model as Yaskawa Academy to local manufacturers.
o Modified MERIT Program - Designed for instructors of K-12 students, career tech and college undergraduates with the option to upgrade to the MERIT Program.

Since it is vital that students have direct access to robotics technology, Yaskawa Motoman has formed partnerships with top educational organizations such as Sinclair Community College (Dayton, OH), RAMTEC Ohio (Marion, OH) and Vigo County School Corporation (Terre Haute, IN) in order to give more students that opportunity.

Together with the educator community and our Yaskawa Motoman Education Consortium* (YMEC) partners, Yaskawa Motoman is creating new and better workforce models and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) educational opportunities to support job creation, advance scientific discovery, enhance manufacturing capabilities and drive economic growth.

To learn more about Yaskawa Motoman’s STEM products and services, visit motoman.com/stem.

*Yaskawa Motoman Education Consortium (YMEC)

YMEC is a partnership among the best-in-class providers of, not the robot, but peripherals, vision systems, enclosures, etc. By bringing together Cognex, Hobart, Miller, QC Industries, Schmalz, Schunk and Tregaskiss, YMEC assures that training will be relevant and directly applicable to the industry.

About Yaskawa Motoman Robotics Division
Founded in 1989, the Motoman Robotics Division of Yaskawa America, Inc. is a leading robotics company in the Americas. With over 300,000 Motoman® robots installed globally, Yaskawa provides automation products and solutions for virtually every industry and robotic application; including arc welding, assembly, coating, dispensing, material handling, material cutting, material removal, packaging, palletizing and spot welding. For more information please visit our website at www.motoman.com or call 937.847.6200.