Buckeye Hills Career Center is set to offer a new program in the fall, Advanced Robotics Manufacturing Systems (ARMS).
ARMS will be offered to high school students that will focus on robotics, programmable logic controllers (PLC), CNC machining, welding, hydraulics, and pneumatics.
“In the modern workplace today, everybody competes against each other. Coorporate offices send out diagrams (of parts) to everybody, we figure out what it takes to build that part, and they choose who gets the job according to cost,” said Chip Collins, instructor of the adult Industrial Maintenance program. “Instead of having to pay a person to do a lot of the mundane jobs, a robot can do that. They can lower the per-part cost by doing away with manpower wages. The robot will cost you $60,000 but in a couple of years it’s paid for. There’s no health insurance that costs you about $20,000 a year, and they don’t call in sick very often.”
Collins explained that more industries are moving towards robotics in their manufacturing processes, and BHCC plans to train students to be able to maintain and repair those machines. According to Collins, a typical FANUC robot will operate 50,000 hours between faults and repair time.
“In 1978 I left here on a Thursday, stopped at Merrillat that Friday, and went to work the following Monday. I worked there 18 years, then came back to work here. Because of my career, which has been right here in this room, I’ve never been without a job,” said Collins.
“That’s what we are trying to do with this high school program, is to create a student and employee who can work in any plant or any kind of industrial setting, that they have the skills to be able to fix robots, PLC’s, if they need somebody to weld they can do it, if they need somebody to fix electrical or wiring they can do it too,” said Tim Updike, career-technical supervisor.
Students who complete the program will have the chance to earn multiple certifications including; FANUC robotics, NCCER core, NCCER 1, welding, and other safety certifications that BHCC students have the chance to earn.
The program will start in the fall of 2018 for high school students. Area sophomores will have the chance to visit Buckeye Hills Career Center This Thursday to tour the facility and learn about all of the programs available. To learn more about BHCC and their available programs, visit buckeyehills.net as well as future editions of the Gallipolis Daily Tribune featuring more programs offered by the center.
By Morgan McKinniss – mmckinniss@aimmediamidwest.com
http://www.mydailytribune.com/top-stories/23454/reaching-students-with-arms
