Robotics tech in high demand

BULLOCH COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - The idea of robots in a factory once seemed like the distant future. But more and more companies use them and need people to keep them running.

Watching robots pivot and swivel inside Ogeechee Tech’s lab is like watching the future in motion.

Justin Goodman helps teach students how to diagnose and service this emerging technology. He says more and more companies are adding robotic components to their factories. He says it’s a technology that’s bringing a shift to the workforce.

“We’re trying to create that higher paying job for that higher level skill that’s needed in our local industries and national industry,” Goodman said.

Ogeechee Tech already has contracts with some employers to train new hires. Last year, they logged more than 100,000 training hours in this lab. They expect that number to quadruple in the next few years with the electric vehicle plan planned just a few miles from here along Interstate 16 along with the component companies that will supply it.

“You add the growth at the port, the growth of existing industry that’s already here. You’re talking about an explosive situation in this marketplace,” Ogeechee Tech Vice President Jan Moore said.

Both foresee more and more students coming to Ogeechee Tech for that training. In fact, they’re already asking the state for a new building triple the size of this one to house the growth as more people look for skills in the future.

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