Get experience and support for your new career in automation

In Japan, the Sakura cherry blossoms are a symbol of new beginnings and growth. The Omron Sakura Program is an early career opportunity for new college graduates, designed to help you flourish as the Sakura do each spring. Omron 's early career program offers:

  • Endless options for career paths and support for personal growth
  • Professional, technical, and industry training courses
  • Hands-on demonstrations of products and solutions
  • Individual development and coaching to build upon strengths
  • Job shadowing of work for customers in real applications

A day in the life of an Omron Sakura Trainee

Stephanie Charles takes you through a typical day in Omron's Sakura Training Program -- starting with the awesome coffee machine and into product and inside sales training. Says Charles, "Not only was I able to grow as a sales professional, I was also able to make friends and be a part of the most exciting industries in the world."

Phenomenal sales training program that provides tremendous industry exposure with relevant industry knowlege, industrial technologies, and sales strategies.

Chris | Sakura Trainee

Ready to Apply?

Applications can be made directly online. Create an account and search listings for "Sakura" to apply for the Sakura Graduate Training Program. If you have questions, reach out through the "Contact" link at the upper right of the screen.

Tabs

Meet the Women of Sakura

Recent Sakura training program participants tell us why they chose Omron, what they learned and their plans for the future.

Alexis Kelly, Florida State University-Tallahassee

My name is Alexis Kelly and I was born and raised in Crystal Lake, Ill. I grew up knowing I wanted to be in sales because I love talking to people and constructively working together to achieve a goal or solve a problem. I went to school at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL where I majored in Marketing with a specialization in sales, and I competed on the sales team for the Seminoles.

I then went on to work an internship my junior year where I called at least 80 companies a day with the task to set meetings, and I won the final roleplay presentation competition out of 20+ interns. I’ve now gone through nine months of training and I am one of the Technical Sales Associates out of Dallas, TX.

Q1: What advice would you give to women entering the tech field? Anything you wish you had known? 

Don't be intimidated because it is a more male-dominated field. The women in this field do extremely well. If you walk in with confidence and know your stuff, you will earn their respect and no one will question you.

Also, my dad used to tell me “you’re going to get one jerk every month, better to get that out of the way” There are going to be people who are rude and try to say things to affect you, think of those situations as they just got chewed out by a boss or they just had some really terrible news and they needed to get anger and frustration out, but it was not about you. Just don’t let the jerks of the world upset you or slow you down.

Q2: What was your motivation for joining the tech industry? 

One reason I joined the tech industry is that I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of coming up with solutions to unique problems. With most sales jobs it’s difficult to explain the value that can be provided, but with Industrial Automation I have specs and throughput and endless amounts of other data that I can use to show the added value. You get to partner with people to help them overcome a problem or improve a process and ultimately help them achieve their goals. You have to be creative and technical and personable and I love the process of it. It is also always changing. Manufacturing will never go away, it is always developing and you never find the same problem twice. It keeps you on your toes, so you will never get bored.

Q3: What goes through your mind when you think of women who joined the workforce before you? In addition, what do you think you could learn from them? 

I think that the industry and the world have made a lot of progress from when my parents were first coming into it. I remember stories that my mom and grandma used to tell me and I have luckily never had to deal with it to that extent. But hearing how strong and resilient they all were in the face of a great barrier, makes me want to work harder. For example, I have an Account Manager down in Austin that I work with, Elizabeth Devoure. She is so incredible at her job, she is so knowledgeable about her products, and manufacturing processes, and she is so personable that people love when she comes by. I learn from her every time I am with her. She has such great knowledge and she is particularly good at advocating for her customers and understanding their underlying problems.

Q4: Why do you think it's important for more women to join the tech industry? 

It is important for more women to join the tech industry because it shows the little girls in the world that they can be anything. I think everyone knows how important representation is to little kids. A lot of kids go into the roles that they are familiar with in one way or another, so to see women doing these jobs opens up that avenue for them.

Q5: What would you recommend to encourage women to join the tech industry? 

I think it needs to start earlier. I found my interest in industrial automation in my junior year of college. If I had known the types of jobs available earlier, I think I would have been able to be more prepared. Getting involved with local STEM programs and making sure that it is marketed to girls as well would show them what is out there for them.

Broaden your skills with free student access to Sysmac Studio

Automation professionals across the globe use Sysmac Studio to design next-generation control systems incorporating PLCs, motion, remote I/O, safety, robotics and vision products. Now, Omron is providing this powerful tool to prepare our future builders on their path to an Industrial automation career.

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Wherever you are in your career, we’ll help you grow professionally and personally. With nearly 37,000 employees at more than 210 locations around the world, you’ll work beside experts and gain the essential skills you need as a member of today’s global workforce.