Expanding Career Pathways in Robotic Welding and Improving Regional Industrial Manufacturing Training

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Fresno City College (FCC) will develop a new curriculum in robotic welding and industrial manufacturing education and training. Two new advanced robotic welding classes and new certificate and degree programs will be designed. The project is a response to a comprehensive needs assessment that identified the importance of providing instruction for new robotics technology being used in the fields of welding and industrial manufacturing. The new curriculum will be a model for building a stronger and more competitive workforce for Fresno County, California, and the U.S. economy. The project will develop original and potentially transformative partnerships between FCC, industry partners, high school dual enrollment manufacturing classes, and the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board's Youth Manufacturing Intern Program. The project will enhance the infrastructure of technical education, provide professional development opportunities for college faculty and secondary teachers, and improve student access to advanced training facilities and equipment. Through this project, FCC will improve regional industrial manufacturing training and increase the number of skilled robotic welders. FCC students will be prepared for the industrial manufacturing workforce, and the pipeline of qualified workers with essential, advanced technology skills in robotic welding will grow. This will enable regional manufacturers to innovate and contribute to a strong, manufacturing-led growth economy. The project will strengthen the STEM pathway from high school to community college, and focus on the recruitment of women and underrepresented students into manufacturing pathways. Thus, the project will generate new knowledge in industrial robotics to share with students, professionals, and the academic community. FCC is a fully accredited California Community College and Hispanic Serving Institution located in one of the largest agricultural producing counties in Central California. The college serves 12 unified school districts and has a service area of more than 5,743 square miles of urban and rural territory. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.