Smart industry developments in industry are now following each other at breakneck speed. The business community is preparing for them by investing in education, among other things. A recent example is the Fieldlab Industrial Robotics. Educational institutions, industry, government and supporting organisations in the Northwest Veluwe and Zwolle region want to prepare students at secondary vocational, intermediate and higher vocational level for a job in the industry of the future.
Bridge education and business
The Fieldlab Industrial Robotics aims to better connect education with the (future) labour market. FME is one of the member parties and acts mainly as a booster of the project. "It once started when an entrepreneur at AWL-Techniek noticed that there was a need to train and certify robot operators and programmers," says Roy van Enkhuyzen, FME Business Development Manager Region East. "He then started developing a field lab focused on this. I got in touch with him through the FME and soon there were plans to take up the project together. He had the idea, we as an umbrella organisation were able to connect the right parties and accelerate the development of the fieldlab."
The Fieldlab Industrial Robotics is not only about theoretical knowledge, but also about developing skills, professional attitude and practical knowledge. A 'hybrid learning environment' is created, where theoretical learning is complemented by workplace learning. Students will follow educational methods, developed by all affiliates, that focus specifically on industrial robotics. Sometimes they follow theory lessons at an MBO or HBO school, other times they gain practical experience in the field lab at AWL-Techniek or at other affiliated companies.
Animo
Quite recently, in collaboration with the field lab, a minor was set up that can be followed at Windesheim in Zwolle. Sixty students have signed up for it, students who are virtually guaranteed a job when they finish their studies. Van Enkhuyzen: "You can see from this that many students are enthusiastic and want to master new technologies. They understand that this is where future job opportunities lie."
A project like the Fieldlab Industrial Robotics could serve the Netherlands well, thinks Van Enkhuyzen. "Internationally, we in the Netherlands are lagging behind with regard to the implementation of robotics in companies. We are barely aware of the opportunities that robots offer. You do see more and more companies making the switch and incorporating robots into their processes, but employees cannot always work efficiently with them." Unlike other existing robotics training courses, this one will in future lead to a certificate. "With that certificate, you have a recognition in your hands that indicates what a robot operator or programmer can do. The journey we have embarked on is going to take several years to implement the training programmes for the various officers. The upcoming 2017-2018 school year will be used to introduce the robot operator training."
Role of humans
The field lab in Harderwijk also wants to propagate that humans will continue to play a crucial role in smart industry. "In the future, we see robots taking over certain places in the process. They will be able to take on difficult repetitive jobs but also be capable of responding to variable situations. But humans will always retain a role. What is often missing now is a digitised workflow to pass on this variation in the form of actions (c.q. robot programmes to be generated)."
The Fieldlab Industrial Robotics is currently busy experimenting with the latest generations of industrial cobots (collaborative robots). Robots specially designed to work interactively together with humans. Precisely to find the balance between man and robot and thus be able to increase the quality of work for the employee within the company. After the start-up phase for each of the 4 study objectives that have been devised, the programme will also be rolled out from the region to the whole of the Netherlands.
From education, the cooperating partners in the project are Landstede MBO Harderwijk; Deltion College; Windesheim University of Applied Sciences and Morgen College Harderwijk. From the business sector: Altrex Zwolle, Auping Deventer; AWL-Techniek Harderwijk, GOMA Hengelo, IJssel Technologie Zwolle, Kinkelder B.V. Zevenaar, Moba Barneveld; Nefit Industrial Deventer; Voestalpine Polynorm Bunschoten; VMI Group Epe and Wivé Techniek Nunspeet. The project is supported by FME, training fund A+O Metalektro, the ministry of OCW and the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel.
By: Kelly Bakker
