SkillWaze and Amplibotics Form Strategic Alliance to Train NECC Student-Athletes as Verified “Robot Pilots” Across 500+ Universities

Press Releases

May 18, 2026

Partnership transforms elite collegiate gamers into high-precision remote operators to bridge the global skills gap and drive industrial productivity through Physical AI.

LAS VEGAS and WASHINGTON, May 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SkillWaze, the pioneer in AI-driven skill verification, and Amplibotics AI, the leader in Physical AI data farming, today announced a transformative strategic alliance to recruit and train student-athletes from the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) as professional Robot Pilots. In collaboration with DAP (Dynamic Athlete Placement) and the NECC, this alliance addresses the critical “verification crisis” in the modern workforce. By combining Amplibotics’ industrial tele-operation infrastructure with SkillWaze’s AuthentiSkill^™ 3D verification engine, the partnership creates a guaranteed talent pipeline for the Physical AI economy, turning competitive gaming mastery into industrial utility.

SkillWaze and Amplibotics partner to train NECC gamers as verified Robot Pilots, bridging the Physical AI US skills gap.

Solving the Entry Level Career Crisis

As the workforce undergoes a massive demographic shift—with 25% of the defense workforce currently at or beyond retirement age—industries face a projected shortfall of 1.9 million manufacturing workers by 2033. Robot manufacturers currently lack a verified, career-ready workforce from which enterprise customers can hire to initiate robotic scale.

“The only truly scalable solution for Physical AI is the integration of physical robots and physical humans,” said James Wigglesworth, CEO of Amplibotics. “We are targeting the collegiate gamer as our ideal pilot because they possess the innate manual dexterity and spatial awareness that traditional programming cannot replicate. By partnering with SkillWaze and the NECC, we are providing manufacturers like Richtech Robotics and Bright Machines with the verified human intelligence their customers need to scale operations immediately.”

Empowering the NECC Student-Athlete

Through this partnership, members of student-athletes from the NECC—representing one of the largest and most diverse collegiate gaming communities in North America—will gain access to a “Learn, Earn, and Verify” ecosystem. Students will utilize standard video game controllers and flight sticks to pilot real-world industrial robots while earning income (US Dollar or Crypto), while simultaneously training the AI models of the future.

“The NECC has always been devoted to providing our student-athletes with the best possible experience and working to support them for success both in and out of the gaming arena,” said Jacob VanRyn, Commissioner of the NECC. “By partnering with SkillWaze and Amplibotics, we are giving our players a direct bridge between their competitive passion and high-stakes, future-proof careers. This initiative proves that the precision, discipline, and split-second decision-making our athletes demonstrate in-game are the exact same skills needed to power the next generation of American industry.”

A Multidisciplinary Talent Pipeline for the Age of AI

The partnership utilizes SkillWaze’s proprietary AI observation engine to score and validate durable skills such as Grit, Problem Solving, and Analytical Thinking in real-time. This ensures that as Gen Z and Gen Alpha enter the workforce, they possess the verified robotics operation credentials required by enterprise giants like Costco, Boeing, and Medtronic.

“SkillWaze will be training NECC esport athletes across the country to be robot pilots for many different industries including advanced manufacturing, aviation, supply chain, retail, healthcare, transportation, restaurants, hospitality, aerospace, defense and more,” said Dan Benveniste, CEO of SkillWaze. “With SkillWaze, Gen Z and Gen Alpha have a direct line to career readiness in the age of AI, just as Boomers and GenX depart the workforce. In addition to robotic pilot training, SkillWaze will be working on robot maintenance and repair skills training as well. As the world embraces robotic automation, there will be a large-scale need to maintain and repair these robots. We are not just closing the skills gap; we are powering the next generation of American productivity,” Benveniste continued.

“DAP, The Official Career Readiness and Placement Company of the NECC, is committed to helping student-athletes translate the skills they develop through competition into meaningful career opportunities,” said Andrew Mirken, President of DAP. “This partnership creates a powerful pathway for NECC student-athletes to enter the rapidly growing Physical AI and robotics workforce while helping shape the future of American industry.”

Leveraging Federal Funding for State And Local Talent Marketplaces

This alliance aligns with a massive federal push to transition toward a skills-based economy. The partnership directly supports the U.S. Department of Education’s “Connecting Talent to Opportunity Challenge,” which funds state-led digital Talent Marketplaces to recognize and verify skills across the education-to-employment continuum. Furthermore, the program utilizes the U.S. Department of Labor’s $30 million Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund, prioritizing workforce development in emerging fields like Artificial Intelligence.

In the healthcare sector, the alliance supports the $50 billion CMS Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), providing states with funding to build a high-skilled rural workforce and deploy AI-enabled remote patient monitoring. By training athletes as verified pilots, SkillWaze helps states utilize these federal grants to bridge gaps in rural health centers and “hospital-at-home” logistics.

“SkillWaze is purpose-built to partner as the connective tissue for local, regional, and state workforce development programs,” added Dan Benveniste. “By integrating our verification engine with state-funded talent marketplaces, we can deliver pre-vetted, high-competency skill scored talent pools at scale. This provides employers with an ongoing guaranteed job-ready talent pool for the future. We are turning federal investment into local economic reality.”

Media Contact:

Samuel Amsterdam
SVP, Head of Communications Practice
[email protected]
(202) 910-8349

About SkillWaze

SkillWaze is the leader in AI-based talent verification, utilizing its proprietary AuthentiSkill^® engine to bridge the gap between education and employment.
Visit www.SkillWaze.com

About Amplibotics AI

Amplibotics operates Physical AI Data Farms, providing large-scale manipulation data needed to train foundation robotics models through a decentralized fleet of professional human pilots. Visit www.amplibotics.ai

About the NECC

The NECC (National Esports Collegiate Conference) fosters a safe and inclusive environment for over 500 colleges and universities across North America. For more information, visit www.neccgames.com.

About DAP (Dynamic Athlete Placement)

DAP is a mission-driven platform connecting diverse student-athletes from 500+ universities with forward-thinking employers to ensure career readiness in emerging sectors.