Lehigh Carbon Community College and Amazon have established a training partnership to prepare apprentices in advanced manufacturing, one of four such Amazon programs nationwide.

This training is part of Amazon’s Mechatronics and Robotics Apprenticeship program and provides a pathway to careers in industrial automation for people working in Amazon’s next generation of distribution and fulfillment centers. The apprentices provide maintenance at an Amazon facility who will be trained for a career in mechatronics and robotics.

The college began its second cohort of 76 apprentices in early December. The original class of 25 completed the program in September, bringing to 101 the total trained to date. An additional class began on Jan. 4, with additional classes planned throughout 2021.

Apprentices represent states from coast to coast. They complete the 12-week program with a variety of courses that will prepare them for a career in industrial automation. After they have successfully passed four national exams, these graduates will return to their facilities for the on-the-job learning portion of the program. This program is a U.S. Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship.

“We are honored to provide this training in partnership with Amazon, which is a major employer in the area. This type of program is truly the way of the future to be able to meet the needs of a changing and demanding workplace,” says LCCC President Dr. Ann D. Bieber. “Students will complete a comprehensive curriculum and are now ready to take their skills into the Amazon facilities. We look forward to welcoming future classes to our campus and further developing programs that impact employment readiness.”

Apprentices utilize Amatrol e-learning, lecture and equipment in the new 2,000-square-foot lab located in the Technology Center on LCCC’s Schnecksville campus.

Apprentices attend classes five days per week, combining online and instructor facilitated classroom work with hands-on skill assessment. The program articulates to credit programming at LCCC in the related fields, so if students want to continue their education, it is a seamless path to an associate degree.