Reno program helps kids learn robotics

By Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette Journal

A student works on a Lego robot during Reno Technology Academy’s summer robotics camp in 2018. (Photo: Image provided by Reno Technology Academy)

The robots are coming.

That’s the consensus among groups like the Brookings Institute, which released a report earlier this year stating that 36 million existing jobs in the U.S. are at high exposure for automation in the future.

While workers in affected areas such as food and clerical services see such trends as a threat, others view it as an opportunity.

“Yes, at some level there will be jobs that will be replaced by robots,” said Steve Andreano, director of technology programs for the Reno Technology Academy. “But at the same time, there will be lots of new jobs opening up for people because these automated robots still need people to take care of them.”

The opportunities include jobs in the future for today’s kids, who would benefit from learning about robotics and technology at a younger age, Andreano said. The mindset is one of the key factors in the creation of the academy’s Robotics Summer Program, which is kicking off its second year.

The program is part of an ongoing push to bolster science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in the state to help address Nevada’s technology labor shortage.

“We think it’s really important to nurture kids at a young age but also approach this from the standpoint of STEM education,” Andreano said. “(That education) is going to give our region’s kids the advantage to thrive in our increasingly tech-savvy competitive market.”

Read the rest of the story at rgj.com.