Education and Workforce Development Programs in the Center for Advanced Automotive Technology

The automotive industry contributes significantly to the national economy and it is currently experiencing a revolutionary technological transformation including electrification, connectivity, automated/autonomous, and lightweighting. To keep pace with the demand for new techniques, Wayne State University (WSU) and Macomb Community College (MCC) have responded to the changing needs by strengthening communications with industry to clearly define future workforce requirements, developing and reforming technologically progressive curricula. Through funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), a Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT) was established as an Advanced Technological Education (ATE) center to support the partnering work and leading systemic curricula reforms. CAAT has developed strong relations with industry partners, and connected with other educational institutions to further the education of vehicle engineers in advanced automotive technologies. CAAT supported new automotive technology college programs through its seed funding program which funded others to create, implement, and share new curricula. CAAT also worked with industry partners identifying curriculum gaps and provided professional development for teachers to fill those gaps. CAAT provided outreach efforts for secondary school students to learn about advanced automotive technology and STEM concepts. All major activities worked to develop and disseminate comprehensive, industry-supported curriculum delivered by well-prepared faculty.

This paper presents the education and workforce development programs provided by the MCC-WSU partnership in meeting industry needs for future workers in advanced automotive technology. CAAT’s focus on partnership building between schools and industry helped to build the student pipeline for advanced automotive technology college attendance and careers. Partnerships with industry continued to build, providing feedback into their educational needs for employees in the new and emerging technologies. CAAT Industry Advisory Council provided direction from a strategic standpoint and provided input on CAAT’s initiatives to ensure they aligned with industry future needs. The Council was comprised of high-level executives from automotive manufacturers and major suppliers. CAAT’s professional development workshops provided educators with training to develop and refine their knowledge base. CAAT’s research has noted the lack of curriculum available for automated and connected vehicle technology curriculum and has provided free, online curriculum to help educators fill this gap. This curriculum is located on the CAAT’s website, www.autocaat.org. All resources in the CAAT Resource Library were accepted for inclusion in ATE Central, and the Applied Math and Science Education Repository (AMSER). Providing “seed funding” for course and curriculum improvement is a unique approach taken by CAAT for promoting systematic curriculum reform in the region. The CAAT works with educational institutions to offer seed funding opportunities to institutions interested in curriculum reform. The seed funding provides other institutions with the resources necessary to embed the CAAT curriculum into their education programs, increasing its impact and permanence throughout higher education. Examples of seed funding projects will be presented in the paper.