Aaron Prather, director of market intelligence at the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), discusses robotics workforce training and emerging roles on The Business of Automation; no guests are identified.
The Army graduated its first 10 warrant officers in specialty 39A, a new career focused on integrating robotics. Training covers AI, coding, ground vehicles, drones, sensors, electronic warfare, and autonomous networking. Prather says the role fills a space between equipment operators and engineers, while noting the program’s small first cohort and uncertain plans for scaling.
Emory University and Georgia Tech are launching a five-year MD and robotics master’s program, with four to six students expected each year. Students begin with robotics coursework at Georgia Tech, then complete medical training at Emory alongside remaining robotics requirements and a capstone. The first cohort is planned for fall 2027, so Prather sees the program as valuable but too gradual to address immediate workforce needs.
At a Detroit workforce event hosted by Ford, companies including BlackRock, Verizon, Carhartt, and Trane discussed skilled trades training. The organizations represented have committed more than $1 billion to training, and Ford announced $5 million for technician programs at two Detroit schools. Figures raised at the event put training output at 55 skilled workers per 100 needed, with completion near 50% for traditional programs and above 90% for high-quality apprenticeships; Prather notes the 55-to-100 figure was not independently confirmed.
Prather says the new programs are useful but small relative to the scale of demand, citing 10 Army graduates and the limited annual intake for the dual-degree program. He recommends defining the role first, identifying its distinct skills, then considering whether to train engineers or upskill operators to fill it. He favors investing in apprenticeship models given the completion figures discussed.
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Bob Little, ATI cofounder and automation veteran, talks with Aaron Prather on A3’s The Business of Automation about planning automation projects, workforce involvement, physical AI, humanoids, and getting started.
Aaron Prather, director of market intelligence at the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), examines three kinds of permission shaping robotics: US market clearance, medical adoption, and interoperability.
