Students at CART High School in Clovis are preparing for the manufacturing industry now more than ever.
Amazon is now officially building a fulfillment center in Fresno and that means more jobs and more online deliveries.
“In order to produce that type of speed you need robotics to help out,” says instructor Brian Emerson.
Businesses like Amazon sort and move items using robots like the FANUC robot.
“Manufacturing is changing with the coming age of electronics and artificial intelligence,” he says.
From sorting fruit at a produce packing plant to moving pallets of goods, CART Engineering and Robotics instructor Brian Emerson says its becoming popular and is why he wants his students to know how to use it.
“It is going from less hands on many many less people to using robots, that doesn’t mean jobs are disappearing that means jobs are changing,” he adds.
CART recently received the $60,000 FANUC 200id robotic arm education system.
Emerson and teaching staff will be certified to use it and students will learn how to program the robot.
“I wanted to go into engineering since I was a kid, and this class sort of got me into more of the hands on experience,” says student Zachary Wilson.
Students like Zachary Wilson take the class to prepare for future careers.
“It will be fun to use that and learn how to program it,” says student Rex Hibbard.
They say using tools like the FANUC robot sometimes give them ideas on future jobs.
“They put us through a lot of real world situations, get us ready for what is going to come after high school,” he adds.
CART is only one of a few schools in the Valley to use this robot and it was all made possible because of a grant.
