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One of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers right now is the lack of skilled workers to operate and maintain the robots and automation on the manufacturing floor. 

Part of the reason for this challenge is that a lot of people who would potentially be interested in a robotics career are mistakenly under the impression that it requires a college degree. The reality, however, is that the most essential skills for a career working with robots can be learned through certificate programs and building on already available mechanical skills. 

Below, we’ll talk about the three different robotics career pathways and some skills for each one that can be targeted through certificate programs rather than 2, 4, or 8 year college degrees. 

Robotics Technicians 

Because of the hands-on nature of their role in manufacturing processes, robotics technicians are ripe for upskilling through certificate training. Many of their required skills can even be achieved through on-the-job training that develops existing skills to be compatible with their interactions with manufacturing robots. 

Technicians should have an understanding of electrical systems and mechanical systems, since they will be interacting with the robots on the floor. 

On top of that, a robotics technician certification on robot programming will aid in the technician’s ability to control the robots. They should also be trained in maintaining and troubleshooting any robots that they’re going to be working with. 

Also it’s of the utmost importance to train robotics technicians on the various relevant safety systems and procedures, since they’ll be working so closely with the machines. 

Robotics Specialists

Because their role is heavily involved with managing and optimizing processes, robotics specialists can benefit from any certification programs that focus on project management and leadership abilities. 

Any advanced robot programming certification would also help, as industrial robots in particular can be complex to install and program for use. In the same vein, specialists should understand the fundamental concepts of quality assurance and inspection. 

From a safety standpoint, robotic specialists are usually the people in charge of performing safety-risk assessments, and so should have safety training credentials and understanding of the risks associated with any particular robots and machines that they’ll be working with. 

Robotics Integrators

Robotics integrators are most likely going to require college education, as their job tasks them with understanding robotics and mechanical applications to a very high degree. 

However, there are aspects of the integrators job that will still benefit from certification programs. 

Because technology advances so quickly, a lot of programs used by integrators for the purpose of simulation and modeling may become obsolete. The best way to counter this is for the integrator to educate themselves on newly emerging modeling and simulation programs that may provide more accuracy and realism. 

The same goes for the robotics technology itself, as an integrator is essentially tasked with planning out an entire robotics system that’s tailored specifically for the needs of their employer/client. Staying trained and up-to-date on the various industrial and collaborative robots as they are introduced to the manufacturing industry means continual training and education to stay on top of new technologies. 

Essential Skills

There are essential skills that are beneficial for everybody working in a robotics career, and many of these can be honed and strengthened through certificate courses. 

Skills like conflict resolution, leadership, problem solving, time management, and more are all necessary to succeed as part of a team in the manufacturing industry. There are many effective and relatively short classes both online and on-person via training institutions that are able to teach and sharpen these skills. 

At RoboticsCareer.org, our mission is to provide an all-in-one destination for potential learners and employers to find the appropriate certificate and degree programs from respectable organizations and institutions around the country.  If you are seeking such a program, a great place to start is with our search tool on RoboticsCareer.org