CONESTOGA COLLEGE
Conestoga and industry partner Magna develop customized training program

Conestoga worked closely with industry partner Magna to develop a customized training program to bolster the skills of its diverse global workforce for effective collaboration to accelerate innovative solutions at the mobility technology company.

The project was led by the college's Custom Training Solutions (CTS), an integral part of the support Conestoga provides industry and recently brought under the umbrella of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship alongside its industry-focused research and entrepreneurship activities.

Magna was looking for a training program to upskill two different types of employees: those who have an operational technology (OT) background, such as robotics programmers and other plant floor personnel, and those with an informational technology (IT) background, such as general software developers, data analysts and networking specialists.

The company wanted to boost collaboration between the two groups as they work together to advance the Internet of Things (IoT), which is the network of physical objects embedded with sensors, software and other technologies to connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the internet.

"It is critical that OT and IT personnel can speak a common language to help accelerate the development of IoT solutions," said Hendrik Lojek, global director of Industry 4.0 at Magna Cosma. "By ensuring this diverse set of employees are able to effectively collaborate, we have the opportunity to continue to build and grow with the industry's digital transformation."

Through a year-long upskilling project called the IoT Academy, Magna and Conestoga came together to develop a highly customized curriculum consisting of remotely delivered theory content, covering topics such as human factors, project management, robotics and software development.

The academy also includes a two-week in-person capstone experience at Conestoga's Smart Manufacturing & Advanced Recycling Technologies (SMART) Centre in Cambridge, established in 2020 to support applied research, technical services and training in the areas of advanced manufacturing, advanced recycling technologies and cyber security.

During the in-person session, Magna training participants tackled the end-to-end development of an IoT solution utilizing research-related robotics and automation equipment.

The IoT Academy launched in January 2024, and the first two of four cohorts have already completed the program with successful outcomes. Magna's Cosma group had several facilities across the world participate, with a diverse set of employees represented across North and South America, Europe and Asia.

Janette Thor, director of Custom Training Solutions, said these joint industry and college training partnerships have been a long-time staple of Conestoga's support of industry.

"For over 20 years, Conestoga has been partnering with industry to create custom training programming to support rapid upskilling in the workplace. The long-term impact of these partnerships is that they contribute to the future of work when new technologies and curriculum from a purpose-built training program can be integrated into academic programming to prepare the next generation of students."

Director of Innovation Special Projects, Ig Kolenko, worked closely with Thor to help design the curriculum and facilitate the capstone experience.

"Bringing together our academic and applied research expertise in highly technical areas, such as robots and automation, software design and development, has allowed CTS and Magna to build and deliver a highly customized and effective upskilling program quickly and effectively, showcasing the significant value we bring to our industry partners," Kolenko said.

Conestoga delivers client-focused, custom training solutions to enterprising businesses looking to invest in the training and skills development of their employees. Training is customized, scheduled and delivered based on an organization's needs. Visit CTS to learn more.