FANUC and ABB Expand Robotics Training for the Future Workforce

FANUC and ABB are expanding robotics education to help prepare workers for increasingly advanced automation systems. FANUC has opened its 132,000-square-foot Training Academy in Rochester Hills, Michigan, with 28 classrooms, 160 robots, and capacity to train up to 17,500 students annually. Meanwhile, ABB Robotics is developing an educational certificate program focused on robotics and physical AI, combining theory with hands-on work using ABB RobotStudio, NVIDIA Omniverse, and other technology platforms. Together, the initiatives address the need for workers to develop the skills required to program, operate, and integrate next-generation automation.

The FANUC Training Academy. Image used courtesy of FANUC

FANUC Training Academy

FANUC has opened the largest automation training center in the United States. The new facility, called the FANUC Training Academy, is located in Rochester Hills, MI. Spanning 132,000 square feet, the FANUC Training Academy includes 56,300 square feet of dedicated training space for laboratory personnel, technicians, students, engineers, and others seeking to advance their technical education. The building spans three stories, is part of FANUC’s America West campus, and represents an investment of around $18 million.

This newest training facility replaces the old one, increasing the total size, equipment, and number of classrooms from 13 to 28 to accommodate growing interest in robotics and automation. The academy also pairs well with the $90 million in manufacturing expansion FANUC has already invested in Michigan, meaning students in their home state will also have automation and robotics opportunities.

In terms of volume, the new training center can train up to 17,500 students annually and includes 160 new robots and over 40 CNC machining simulators. Beyond customer training, FANUC’s Certified Education Training (CERT) has expanded to reach more than 1,700 schools and train more than 60,000 people in robotics each year.

ABB’s Educational Program

ABB Robotics announced a new educational program to train the next generation of workers in robotics and physical AI. Hosted at NVIDIA GTC in Berlin, this co-developed education blueprint is geared toward creating a certificate program. This certificate program will combine theory and hands-on lab activities to give students a well-rounded, valuable perspective on physical AI and its impact on automation.

The idea grew out of a white paper that examined how companies were responding to the development of physical AI. The paper found that a little over half of the interviewed companies were adapting to AI; only 16% had actually redesigned jobs and automation systems around AI.

Students work through a RobotStudio Tutorial. Image used courtesy of ABB

The program will include hands-on learning with ABB RobotStudio and NVIDIA Omniverse, and will also feature tools from Amazon Web Services, SKAI Intelligence, and others.

What’s Next?

New tools will always require new training and a workforce with future-oriented skill sets. As the current generation retires, robots can partially fill the skills and knowledge gap, but only if the workforce knows how to use them. FANUC and ABB are laying the groundwork for developing this workforce.