GO TEC hosts first robotics competition for local middle school students

DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) - Local middle school students got to show off their robotics skills in a friendly competition Wednesday.

GO TEC held its first ever robotics competition at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville.

12 teams from Martinsville and Franklin, Pittsylvania, Halifax, Grayson, Cumberland, and Wythe counties were at the event.

All the students are part of the GO TEC program.

“Inside of the class of GO TEC, the students are introduced to automation and robotics, which is one of our targeted career pathways for GO TEC,” said Jacob Taylor, GO TEC training manager. “So, this introduction to the automation and robotics equipment and that pathway will trigger interest further when they start pursuing CTE classes and post-secondary opportunities.”

They plan to invite more schools to next year’s competition and allow students to qualify for regional tournaments.

The Danville Otterbots, GO Virginia, Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, and the Maritime Industrial Base Ecosystem helped the GO TEC team facilitate the competition.

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