Companies coming to schools, to teach the secrets of robots

 Crisis stimulates creativity. And so, the industry is reinventing itself to face this delicate moment and to become competitive again. In a fast-paced world, where innovation is a premium, the school is plodding along, with ministerial programs going nowhere, and a lack of funds to upgrade labs.

So, what do we do? “We send our teachers to exhibitions and companies to seek out collaboration,” explained Anna Scaltritti,  the headmistress of the ISIS Ponti High School, in Gallarate. “And often, it’s easier than you think. The manufacturing industry is very interested in meeting the future generations and often a simple request for help will lead to profitable collaboration projects.”

This is what happened to the Ponti High School, which, on Friday 21 February, is presenting the collaboration program with UCIMU to launch the “advanced mechanics – mechatronics – robotics” program.

Together with the ISIS Newton, in Varese, the school has become the location of a training centre for mechatronics and robotics, two industrial sectors that are growing.

“I haven’t been affected by the crisis since 2009, when business came to a standstill,” explained the engineer Fabio Greco, the administrator of KLAIN Robotics, in Brescia (see below photo), “Production is constantly growing. I’m extending the market: abroad, they’re very interested in robotics, because it has applications in many industrial fields. We work in the mechanical engineering, textile, eyeglass and luxury sectors.”

Greco is always on the move, visiting clients, going to exhibitions, but also schools. “Students are fascinated by the world of robots, but this passion can’t emerge in classrooms, because the funds of a school can’t allow keeping pace with technological innovation. So, for us, it’s essential to meet the students, to stimulate their interest and passion for a field that has great need of specialised workers. Today, it’s very hard to find skilled workers, with an appropriate way of thinking to understand the potential of robotics.”

The administrator of KLAIN always replies to the requests of schools. “In Tunisia and Egypt, schools and universities are sensitive to training in this field. If we consider that in Tunisia, 400 robots are made per year, and that in Italy, we make 4000, we must understand there’s no time to waste.”

The message we are trying to pass on is that companies are looking for skilled technicians, who are also able to find and convince potential customers around the world, to follow them; these characteristics require many skills that are acquired with a multidisciplinary approach.

On Friday, 21 February, the ISIS Ponti is presenting its numerous collaborations with local and international companies, from Kawasaki to the Kinster Group, from Silvio Fossa to the Chiaravalli Group, from VIAR to Misumi. “It might seems absurd,” said the manager Scaltritti, “but sometimes, you only have to ask, to obtain.”