SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Industry analysts in Baja California say the state needs 4,000 automation engineers to keep the economy growing and functioning along the border.
According to getreskilled.com, an automated engineer uses technology to improve, streamline and automate manufacturing, electricity generation, warehouse distribution, mining and many other processes to reduce the need for human intervention and maximize efficiency.
José Luis Villasana Beltrán, with Baja California’s Chamber of Commerce for the Electronic, Telecommunications and Informational Systems, says these types of engineers are critical for economic growth in the region.
“We continue to seek out 4,000 engineers that we can’t locate,” said Villasana Beltrán. “There are plenty of engineers around the state, but not the ones who can keep manufacturing going through automated technology.”
He added industries that require 50 to 60 workers on an assembly line, can function with only six automation engineers and their knowledge.
“Right now, universities aren’t graduating enough qualified personnel.”
Villasana Beltrán says the COVID-19 pandemic changed manufacturing in the region as more industries realized they were too dependent on a labor force and switched to robotic and automated resources.
“Students about to go to school or those who have started their studies should switch to this type of learning to fill a need in the industry. Just in Tijuana alone, we need more than 2,000 automated engineers,” he said.
Earlier this week, Baja California’s Autonomous University in Tijuana signed a pact to offer a major in this type of engineering, saying it intends to fill the need for not only automation engineers but electronic, mechanical and biomedical engineers.
“The fact we have such a big demand can be seen as a positive as we continue to drive large investment and companies to Baja California,” said Villasana Beltrán.
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