Festo Didactic participated in the annual SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference in June. Festo sponsored the mechatronics competition and joined with certification entity the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) and its industry partners for a third year in a row. Festo also shared a booth with Dobot, collaborative robot provider.
Together, Festo and Dobot showcased the MecLab cobot station, designed for education and scientific research. It can accurately simulate various automation scenarios to provide immersive learning and research experiences, making it the ideal platform to explore AI, smart manufacturing, and other fields of study.
More than 50 high school and college students compete in the mechatronics category each year. Contenders are tasked with building a mechatronics system using Festo’s factory simulated training equipment (the MecLab, MPS, fluid power, industrial controls, mechanical and ac/dc systems). The MecLab challenges students to assemble, integrate and program components to create an automated system that’s capable of completing a specific task.
“We’re working extremely hard to ensure that technical standards and best practices in industry are aligned with the curriculum and training needed to guide students down a pathway to compete here at SkillsUSA,” says Alyssa Evans, Festo technical support engineer and SkillsUSA mechatronics technical chair. “I look forward to being here every year because every year the competition gets stiffer.”
The competitions of the SkillsUSA Championships are created and judged by industry to ensure that students are learning the real-world skills employers demand from entry-level professionals.
This year’s judging panel included:
- KC Reynolds, ATC
- Jess King, ATC
- Nate Walls, Reletech
- Noah Catron, Reletech
- Rob Fisher, Reletech
- Shane Nelan, TechEd
- Mason Frady, SECT
- Brian Burgess, CTA
- Josh Whittington, Wiregrass Technical
- Brandon Bailey, Nissan
- Gabe Eady, Denso
- Chandler Duggan, Toyo Tires
- Chris Stevens, Dobot Robots
- Kenneth Bibb, Festo
- Francois-Xavier Belisle, Festo Canada
As part of this year’s SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, Festo, NC3, Snap-on and 3M offered Train-the-Trainer sessions, designed to equip educator with the certifications, tools and professional development they need to prepare the workforce of tomorrow.
“Last year’s training was such a success that SkillsUSA not only invited NC3 back, but also expanded the offering,” says Lisa Marshall, Festo program manager at NC3. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for instructors—especially those attending SkillsUSA for the first time—to earn an industry-recognized certification at a significantly reduced cost while engaging with the nation’s top technical talent.”