In the summer of 2018, FANUC America hosted its first-ever externship program for teachers interested in learning more about robotics and automation programming. The 3-week program allowed externship participants to attend courses, where expert instructors provided hands-on training with FANUC products at FANUC America's corporate headquarters in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
FANUC America externship student and high school instructor Sharon Spencer shared her experience in a recent blog post:
"I applied for the three-week FANUC externship because I believe that there needs to be options for students who are interested in areas such as engineering, robotics and manufacturing, but are not planning on attending a four-year college or are not sure what they want to do after high school."
"Because of this, I wanted to gain first-hand experiences and learn what manufacturing is all about so, when I talk to my students, I have a better understanding of the field and what type of people companies are looking to hire. I also believe having those “real world” experiences provides me with “street cred” in the eyes of my students."