Y-Blog

We recently surveyed members of the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)to get a handle on the state of robotics education in America. In the course of four days, we heard back from nearly three hundred teachers, professors and administrators at universities, two-year colleges, technical schools and high schools. Here’s some of what we learned:  Sixty-two percent of those surveyed have a robotics education program in place, the remainder do not. Fifty-five percent of those with a program aim to enhance it. Read More

Part of Charles Speelman’s job is connecting students and employers. But Speelman isn’t a recruiter; he’s an educator. Three years ago, as superintendent of Tri-Rivers Career Center in Marion, Ohio, Speelman was getting calls from companies saying that there weren’t enough skilled workers entering the trades, especially manufacturing. So, Speelman (with an approximately $15-million “Straight A Grant” from Ohio) launched the Robotics & Advanced Manufacturing Technology Education Collaborative, known as RAMTEC. Students at RAMTEC get to work with and learn about the same machines and tools used by many manufacturers. Read More