Applied Manufacturing Technologies’ Automation Academy is the reason our engineers can integrate seamlessly into our customers’ teams and operations. AMT career development begins with The Automation Academy’s culture of high-performance and continuous learning. Your career will jump start in our 6,000-square-foot automation lab supported by dedicated engineering specialists focused on developing your skills. Training and mentoring continues throughout your career. At AMT you’ll quickly go from being the newbie to the mentor for the next generation. We match each new employee with an AMT mentor and custom training plan to accelerate and strengthen their skill set, which results in a team rich in technical and practical knowledge.
In between assignments, our engineers use The Automation Academy onsite training lab, latest technology, and module based curriculum materials to keep their skills sharp and their knowledge current. We don’t do “down time” at AMT – We’re always improving, mentoring, learning and growing!
THE AMT AUTOMATION ACADEMY ENSURES STRONG, PRODUCTIVE, CONFIDENT TEAM MEMBERS AND SUCCESSFUL PROJECT OUTCOMES FOR OUR CUSTOMERS BY:
- Partnering with leading technological universities to nurture emerging engineers wishing to supplement their education with real-world work experience.
- Engaging with Robotics Clubs to guide interested and talented high school students towards automation careers.
- Recruiting and locating experienced technical professionals who can transition their experience and knowledge into the AMT engineering team.
- Ensuring all of our engineers have been pre-qualified on all of our customer standards and certifications: EX GM GCCH, GCCS, and GRS. In some cases we even teach the curriculum for industry.
Commitment
The AMT Academy is committed to providing students with a solid foundation of skills required in the automation industry. The Academy provides students with the foundation necessary to fulfill the company’s mission to build careers in automation.
- Technical Training
- Hands-on labs
- Instructor-led classes
- One-on-one mentoring
- Online classes
- Troubleshooting techniques
- Capstone project
- Self-study for GRS and GCCS certification
- Soft Skills Training
- Communication
- Conflict resolution
- Sales 101
- Graduation
o Capstone presentation
o Certificate of completion
o GRS and GCCS exams
o Online recognition - Ongoing
o 24/7 Access to the AMT Team and proprietary resources
Why AMT Academy?
We believe the most beneficial case study is your own. Let’s work through it together. As a student in the AMT Academy, you’ll be engaged with active learning, so you’ll not only learn skills and techniques, you’ll deploy them on real systems. By fusing proven classroom and practical application, you get the best of both worlds. The AMT Academy instructors are experienced automation engineers who are adept at electrical, mechanical, and software skills with a passion for mentoring.
The Academy Team draws from the over 130 automation engineers at AMT to assist during the Academy as guest instructors, one-on-one mentors, on-the-job training, and more.
Candidate Qualifications
We take a holistic approach to selecting candidates for the Academy based on years of
experience building careers in automation. Technical aptitude is important but not the
deciding factor.
Requirements:
- Exemplify the AMT Core Values
o Respect for the individual
o Integrity
o Supports the team
o Excellence in reputation - Strong desire to learn
o Listens well, takes notes, asks questions - Demonstrated solid work ethic (whether it is from a summer job at a fast food
restaurant or an engineering internship) - Willingness and ability to travel – Assignments at client sites may require
extended stays
Course Calendar
The course calendar spans over nine weeks, with some flexibility due to trainer availability. In the initial two weeks, students will bring their lunches and eat in the lunchroom alongside other AMT employees. Week 1 covers essential topics such as company onboarding, safety training, and an overview of the industry. This week also introduces key technical concepts like AMT 101, VMware training, and an explanation of engineering tools, including RS Logix, RSLinx, FactoryTalk, and Lock Out/Tag Out, Electrical Safe Work Practices.
Weeks 2 to 6 (not consecutive) focus on Instructor Assisted PLC training, featuring more than 50 labs to reinforce learning through real-world applications. The training includes modules covering controls basics, PLC and HMI concepts, hardware and software design, communication setup, print reading, ladder logic programming, device control, HMI design, and professional topics like communication, troubleshooting, sales, and conflict resolution.
In Week 7, students participate in Instructor Led Robot Programming training, divided into modules that explore robot basics, motion, I/O setup and troubleshooting, program instructions, and advanced techniques. This comprehensive training ensures students are well-versed in robotic programming.
Week 8 marks the beginning of the Capstone project, along with self-study for GRS and GCCS, and subsequent testing. Week 9 offers extra training tailored to an engineer’s interests or initial project expectations, including topics like motion control, networking, advanced HMI design, robot programming (excluding Fanuc), logic-specific applications, techniques, advanced instructions, and the completion of the Capstone project.
The course with a graduation ceremony, featuring a Capstone project presentation to the leadership team. Throughout the course, please note that the order of courses may vary based on trainer availability, ensuring a flexible and adaptive learning experience for the students.
To learn more, check out these articles: Automation Academy graduate Lawrence Nixon Mentors New Hires and Jason Markesino and AMT’s Automation Academy Featured in Robotics Tomorrow.