Newcastle TAFE is gearing up to start training the region's future workforce in automation and robotics.
Courses will be offered in a range of disciplines focusing on the specialist knowledge and skills required to build and maintain the next generation of high-tech automation in the digital and manufacturing sectors.
Head Teacher David Leask says it's not just about replacing the labour force with machines, but giving students new skills which complement existing jobs which will never be replaced by robots.
"We've got artisan industries, we've got industries that will never go away. For example, you will still need the ability to be able to carry a small portable welding unit up scaffolding to be able to carry out a repair on a transmitter antenna bracket for example, and you're not going to be able to get a robot to do that sort of stuff," he said.
David Leask says they've been working closely with the owner a dairy in the Upper Hunter where robots milk the cows.
"His needs are typical of the manufacturing sector right across the Hunter and in fact across the nation. So, it doesn;t really matter to us whether you're manufacturing high level circuit boards or whether you're manufacturing digital data and sending it across the airwaves or whether you're milking cows using robots, the philosophy behind the advanced manufacturing training is to cater for the training needs for the people that are employed in industries that are adopting this technology at all levels," he said.
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| Newcastle TAFE Head Teacher David Leask |
