BotsIQ aims to draw younger deaf workers to skilled labor positions

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By Len Boselovic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
February 5, 2015

Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf students Justin Warke, left, and Adam Rasbeck use a milling machine at New Century Careers to help build their school’s fighting robot for BotsIQ.

 

Max Inks says he is doing what he always wanted to do: “design things and build things.”

Mr. Inks, 24, produces electrical systems used in 3-D printers made by The ExOne Co. in North Huntingdon. It’s a job the Hempfield resident was led to through building a robot when he was a senior at Hempfield High School in 2008.

The robot took part in BotsIQ, a robot slugfest sponsored by Western Pennsylvania manufacturers and educators as a way to develop young, technically skilled employees who can replace retiring baby boomers.

“It opens the eyes of students to amazing career opportunities that are out there for them,” said Bill Padnos, Bots IQ executive director.

Teams of students are paired with local companies that teach them how to design and build 15-pound robots that can survive battles with robots built by competing teams. In addition to math, computer-aided design and other technical skills, the students learn budgeting, time management, and how to make an affordable robot that works.

“It’s the kind of experience they don’t teach you at school too much,” said Mr. Inks, who earned associate degrees in robotics and electronic technology at Westmoreland County Community College.

Mr. Padnos estimates about 4,000 high school students have competed since BotsIQ was launched in 2006. This year, about 1,000 students from about 60 regional high schools have formed 80 teams that will face off at preliminary competitions next month at Butler and Westmoreland county community colleges.

Winners will advance to the finals in April at California University of Pennsylvania. A national competition will be held at Baldwin Wallace University near Cleveland in May.

Vocational teacher John Foust has supervised the BotsIQ team from the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf since the program was launched. The Edgewood school’s partner is New Century Careers, a South Side nonprofit that helps regional manufacturers train workers.

Mr. Foust said New Century personnel supervise his students on machines used to make the robots. Students use trial and error to find out what type and grade of metal to use, and how to design a robot that will take a beating.

“Primarily what we do is problem solve,” Mr. Foust said.

Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf student Jonathan Border leans to control a milling machine with Tim Brandis of New Century Careers at the South Side training school.

Jeff Kelly, the owner of Hamill Manufacturing in Trafford, came up with BotsIQ after learning of a similar program in Florida. Like other regional manufacturers, Hamill was struggling to find young, skilled workers and was looking for a way to get them interested in manufacturing.

BotsIQ teaches them that manufacturing isn’t boring, that it requires skill and can pay well, said Phyllis Miller, Hamill’s human resources manager. Today, about 50 companies in the region support BotsIQ including Chevron, which recently provided a three-year, $150,000 grant.

“If you build a relationship with a school in your area, it could be a pipeline to younger workers,” Ms. Miller said.

The pipeline ended up being a career path for Alex Udanis, 23, a BotsIQ participant in each of his four years at Plum High School.

“I was a pretty big geek in high school,” said Mr. Udanis, who will earn an electrical engineering degree from Penn State University this spring. After graduating, he will intern at Teletrix, a Plum company that makes simulators used to train people who do radiation detection work.

Mr. Udanis said his BotsIQ experience taught him more than engineering.

“It’s been a huge networking experience, too,” he said.

Len Boselovic: 412-263-1941 or lboselovic@post-gazette.com.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette