This paper presents a study in which learning interactions of novice engineering students with robot manipulators focus on training spatial skills. To support the interactions, we customized the robots' workspaces, designed virtual robotic cells, and developed robot manipulation tasks with oriented blocks. 20 high school (HS) students majoring in mechanics and 248 Technion first-year students majoring in industrial engineering and management (IEM) participated. The study indicated that following the training, the HS students improved their performance of spatial tests, and the IEM students gained awareness of spatial skills required to handle industrial robot systems.