BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Bakersfield College was the first school in the west coast to partner with Amazon to bring this program to the campus. Training current employees what they need to know about mechatronics and robotics.
Bakersfield College held their first graduation for their mechatronics and robotics apprenticeship program. This was their inaugural class after a new partnership with Amazon and The Wonderful Company.
The program is an intensive paid training program that focuses on a variety of technical skills and prepares participants for a role on Amazon's RME team as an electromechanical technician. Bakersfield College was chosen out of all schools on the West Coast to host it for Amazon Employees. B.C. was chosen out of all schools on the West Coast to host this program for Amazon employees.
Jeoff Meek Program Manager for the Apprenticeship Program said "Having something on the West Coast only helped us with travel, housing and things like that. We have programs at other colleges across the country, so having a west coast school really helped us geographically zone in on these folks."
Paul Hughes Vice Presidents of Capital Projects and Technical Training with the Wonderful Company said "We have a huge gap in skilled based and technical jobs at this time and I believe this is really helping fill that gap. It's amazing to see the commitment from Amazon and Bakersfield College so we can complete this and give more labor to a much needed sector."
They have three groups currently undergoing training, and this group was the first to complete the 12-week program. On Thursday, Bakersfield College congratulated 18 graduates who completed their training and are now preparing to return to their respective departments.
Rozanne Hernandez Dean of Instruction for Career Technical Education said "We do have our lab at The Wonderful Career center in Shafter. That's where the training is taking place right now. We do have state of the art equipment there that was purchased by our foundation. We have multiple Amazon trainers there that they work with on a daily basis."
Michael-Anthony Ruyna Graduating Student said "This program has really helped us understand what we are working with at our job sites. We're not just working with little machines, we are working with actual conveyors that are running millions of packages a day."
Brian Cordova was one of the students who went above and beyond in the program. He was one of the students who helped others out when they needed it and took advantage of the program to the fullest.
Brian Cordova Graduating Student MVP Recipient said "It was an amazing experience I came in with an expectation it would be easy. While it wasn't it was definitely a great learning and growth experience for me. Anybody trying to get into this industry I really recommend going with Amazon. They have all the tools and resources all you have to do is apply yourself."
Bakersfield College wants to bring this program back next year and help other Amazon employees reach their full potential.
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