Skills Grant Expands BFIT Engineering Curriculum with State-of-the-Art Technology

March 12, 2020

BFIT received a $190,011 Skills Capital Grant from the state of Massachusetts to enhance the college’s Engineering Technology curriculum with new, state-of-the-art robotics and automation tools.

See the full announcement from BFIT Dean of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer Dennis Camacho:

When Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology thinks about student success, we think about how we can best equip our students with the skills to meet current and future workforce trends. This requires not only top-of-the-line educators and programs, but also state-of-the-art equipment in our workshops and labs. That is why I am ecstatic that BFIT is one of the educational institutions awarded a Skills Capital Grant from the state of Massachusetts — a generous grant that will enhance our Engineering Technology curriculum with new robotics and automation tools.

With this $190,011 grant from the Skills Capital Grant, BFIT will purchase new equipment for our engineering programs that will more closely mirror the workplace environment of the high-priority technical industries of Greater Boston. For example, the purchase of a new Fanuc collaborative Robot gives students the opportunity to work alongside the automated machines they will encounter in the real world. Because our engineering programs combine substantial theoretical knowledge with real-world automation skills — something unparalleled in the industry — these new technologies are essential to properly prepare students for the industrial automation workstations they will encounter in the industry.

Benjamin Franklin Institute’s ability to utilize the MA Skills Grant in this fashion further justifies the importance of grants that bridge the skills and opportunity gaps that plague postsecondary education. BFIT’s emphasis on high-demand, “middle skill” jobs enables students from various walks of life to obtain educations that are influenced and directed by the trends of the industry they will enter, creating more employable and marketable graduates for the future of Massachusetts’ workforce. Receiving state grants in support of these programs is validation of their success and an opportunity to improve the curriculum.

The experience required to pursue these high-paying technical careers would not be possible without grants that allow our students to obtain and learn from the newest technologies. Working alongside cutting-edge robotics and equipment creates graduates who can directly make an impact on the first day of a new job. Their employment will ultimately enable them to provide a long and fruitful lifestyle for them and their families.