By By John Haughery & John Bridgen, Co-founders & Program Directors for the Robotic WorX program
A feature piece from our Summer 2024 issue of the Lancaster Thriving Publication.
“If I had to pick one word to sum up the whole experience…it would have to be priceless,” said Duncan Garvin, Automation Engineering Intern, Robotic WorX program.
In its pilot year, the program has engaged hundreds of local middle school to college students with real-world engineering challenges, helped manufacturers find solutions to labor shortage and production needs, and fostered a public/private partnerships that is building a future automation workforce ready to solve tomorrows engineering problems, today.
A joint initiative between Precision Cobotics, LLC, (PCI) and Millersville University (MU), the Robotic WorX program equips high school and undergraduate students with the opportunity to address genuine manufacturing problems through automation and robotics. Directed by John Bridgen of PCI. and Dr. John Haughery of MU, the program links STEM education to real-world careers and helps manufacturers tackle labor and production issues through workforce development and innovative processes.
In a time when the demand for domestically produced goods has surged due to global challenges and the technical workforce is at a record low, Robotic WorX is vital. The program supports using automation to strengthen the supply chain and expand the employment base, creating better-paying jobs where humans collaborate with robots. This combination of new automation technologies and emerging STEM talents offers significant growth potential for the manufacturing sector.
Funded by seed grants from Lancaster STEM, the Lancaster County Workforce Development Board, and supported by the PA Department of Community & Economic Development, the program operates out of the Solutions Lab at MU. Managed by Ermias Wogari, a graduate from both McCaskey High School and MU, the lab provides interns with hands-on engineering experience, academic credit, and the chance to develop solutions for real manufacturing problems.
Bob Hildebrand, Director of Product Integrity at Advanced Atomization Technologies and program collaborator, believes in the program’s impact: “Programs like Robotic WorX are essential for industry growth and for inspiring young minds to enter challenging fields.”
Intern Avery Axe from Conestoga Valley High School comments, “I enjoy[ed] being challenged with real-world problems from companies, which allows us to collaborate on solutions while enhancing our skills and knowledge.”
To date, Robotic WorX has involved 599 participants, including students, community members, as well as local and national manufacturing firms. Spring 2024 data indicate high school interns improved their career pathway metrics in four key areas related to automation and manufacturing by an average score of 4.2 points on a 10-point scale.
The program has successfully helped students secure full-time manufacturing jobs, encouraged further education in automation and robotics, and assisted in acceptance to prestigious research programs. For instance, undergraduate intern Duncan Garvan secured a position at PrecisionForm, Inc.; Hecmarys Cintron applied to Millersville’s Automation & Robotics Engineering Technology program; and Cameron Zuschmidt was accepted into the PA Governor’s School of Science summer program at Carnegie Mellon University.
Looking ahead to Fall 2024, Robotic WorX will continue offering internships, job shadowing, and lab tours. For more information or to discuss opportunities for sponsorship or collaboration, please visit the Solutions Lab at https://www.precisioncobotics.com/solutions-lab.
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