As technology advances and AI use increases, Moraine Valley Community College’s Automation and Engineering Technology Program prepares students for high-demand careers in advanced manufacturing, robotics and industrial technology.
The Automation and Engineering Technology A.A.S. Program provides in-depth knowledge and practical experience in production automation, robotics and the Industrial Internet of Things. The college also offers certificate programs to build specialized skills, which can either be earned as stand-alone options or applied toward an associate degree, and many can be earned in as little as one year. Certificates include Additive Manufacturing Specialist, Architectural CAD, AutoCAD Specialist, Autodesk Inventor Specialist and Mechanical Drafting Associate.
“Students can expect to go out in the industry locally and work at different manufacturing facilities, be robotics technicians, maintenance technicians – sometimes even in design and development – and drafting coordinators,” explained Joe Palazzolo, Automation and Engineering program coordinator and instructor at Moraine Valley.
Palazzolo shared, “All of these different career paths are within this program. They could go out and see success immediately after two years with just these hands-on skills that we’re building.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 1,100 openings for electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians are projected each year, on average, over the next ten years. “As we grow our robotics program, as we grow our electronics and mechatronics programs, all of these facilities we need to keep up to date. And we need to make sure that we’re meeting the needs of our community, to get those different students trained and out in the job market making an impactful difference,” Palazzolo said.
Students in the program work with state-of-the-art equipment including industrial robotics systems and automation controllers, such as Programmable Logic Controllers, FANUC industrial robots and more.
Dr. Kristine Christensen, professor of Computer Information Systems at Moraine Valley, added, “Careers in automation and engineering technology are very hands-on and are very difficult to replace with AI. We need the technicians that can go on the plant floor and see what’s going on with the conveyor belt. They need to mechanically fix things. AI can’t do that. Our skilled technicians can.”
To learn more about Moraine Valley’s Automation and Engineering Technology Program, visit morainevalley.edu/automation-and-engineering-technology.
For news media inquiries, contact Madisson Younglove, assistant director of Communications, at (708) 974-5281 or younglovem2@morainevalley.edu.
