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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

About The Author

Lisa Masciantonio 

Chief Workforce Officer

Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute 

Lisa Masciantonio is the Chief Workforce Officer for the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute. She joined the ARM Institute in May 2017 as the Director of Membership and Outreach.  She moved to the position of Chief Workforce Officer in 2019 and she is responsible for driving the Education & Workforce Development vision for ARM in conjunction with the ARM membership, the federal and state government partners, and other expert stakeholders. 

Lisa brings with her over 25 years of experience as a performance-driven leader with notable success in cultivating and executing business strategies and formulating long-term strategic client relationships.  She has proven success in developing business solutions, commercialization of products, technology transfer, and technological initiatives that have supported organizational growth, improved staff productivity, and increased value to many communities of practice. Critical to her success is the ability to increase awareness and drive thought leadership position by designing and executing innovative programs as well as developing and launching new, value-add offerings for ongoing competitiveness. Lisa received a Bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University and 2 Master’s degrees from Carnegie Mellon University. 

In 2021, Lisa was recognized as one of 20 world-wide Exceptional Women in Robotics and Automation by SME. In 2022, she was recognized by the Pittsburgh Business Times as a Women of Influence and was also part of the inaugural Technical.ly Pittsburgh RealLIST Connectors list, which recognizes the top 100 influential leaders in Pittsburgh tech.