Robotic process automation career training

This $307,758 National Science Foundation project grant will support the College of the Mainland in developing a two-year Robotic Process Automation Career Training (RPACT) program. The program will offer stackable credentials, including a Workforce Occupational Skills Award and Certificate in Robotic Process Automation technology, to prepare students for in-demand technician careers in this rapidly growing field.

Through its STEM Education program, the National Science Foundation aims to ensure the vitality of the nation's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education enterprise. This award directly supports that goal by funding the development of an industry-aligned RPACT curriculum using leading vendor tools. Students will learn to configure software robots to perform repetitive tasks. The program also includes hands-on lab learning, internships, career services, and a focus on recruiting and supporting women, nontraditional aged students, and concurrent high school students. This $307,758 project began on September 1, 2022 and aims to establish the first dedicated RPA program in Texas to help meet workforce needs.

Abstract

Robotic process automation (RPA) is a technology that uses software to complete common, repetitive tasks, such as open emails, transfer files, and send invoices. This form of automation uses software to perform business process activities at a high-volume, allowing workers to direct their attention to more important tasks that are not candidates for automation. Companies are turning to RPA technology to improve the efficiency of their operations and to make more effective use of their human capital. The goal of this project is to develop and implement a two-year degree program consisting of stackable credentials in RPA that supports industry-recognized RPA tool certifications and offers cooperative work-based learning opportunities. Among the community colleges in texas, the college of the mainland will be the first to offer a workforce occupational skills award and certificate in RPA technology. There is no certificate, two-year, or four-year degree programs in texas dedicated to RPA. Students with specialized RPA skills who obtain industry-recognized certifications will be qualified to fill a variety of positions in this rapidly growing area. The robotic process automation career training (RPACT) project will develop a two-year curriculum using RPA tools supplied by leading vendors. Students will learn to configure these tools to create software robots which perform repetitive tasks, usually tasks performed every day manually by computer users. The objectives of the project include (1) identifying the skills, certifications, and supporting systems for the industry focused workforce program, (2) developing and promoting the RPACT program pathway and curriculum, (3) recruiting and retaining students focusing on women, nontraditional aged, and concurrent high school students, and (4) supporting RPACT students through the program, to obtain industry-recognized certification, and into RPA technician careers. RPACT will target recruitment and student supports for women, nontraditional aged (25+) reskilling/upskilling students, and concurrent high school students. Project faculty will establish a network of business and industry advisors, develop industry-aligned curriculum with a hands-on lab learning foundation, support internships and career services, and evaluate the project to inform post-award sustainability. This project is funded by the advanced technological education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.