Some want to fix cars - good news for dealers struggling to recruit technicians.

Several said they plan to forego college and instead seek jobs after high school that will train them as technicians. Aviation, medicine, data and agriculture careers were cited by students not interested in creating future automobiles. I conducted an informal survey of a couple dozen students, and only about a third said they wanted to work in the automotive industry or for a supplier. But the industry's strong support doesn't mean it has dibs on these kids. The program, founded in the 1970s by inventor Dean Kamen, serves as an incubator for talent for just about every industry that needs engineers, software developers, fabricators, code writers and technicians.įIRST teams in Michigan are heavily supported by the auto industry, with General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Stellantis and Bosch among the major donors of money, equipment, mentors and tools. The competitions taking place around the globe is a huge affair in the United States, around 615,000 high school students work on robotic teams. team at a regional competition for FIRST Robotics.

I was a judge this past weekend on the Ford Motor Co. Cournoyer believes they can learn from failure as well as success. 'I know it's not going to work,' he said in a low voice, as he fought the urge to intervene. and one of the team's mentors, stands behind that black line a few feet away and watches as students secure the bracket. Sebastien Cournoyer, a plant manager at Cargill Corp.

Mechanical issues cost points and can derail a school's goal of making it to the state finals next month. The Full Metal Muskrats - the name of the Algonac High School team - have to get it right.

Just a few tense minutes remain before the next match, and the sense of urgency is real as a drill whirs and a hammer knocks a fastener into place. That's where about five students are working feverishly to fabricate a bracket that will keep their robot's arm from retracting too far when it competes in the Michigan State Regional robotics competition against 39 other schools. There's a taped black line on the carpet at the entrance to the Algonac High School FIRST Robotics team's pit area at the recreational center at Kettering University.

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