Washtenaw Community College Brings Workforce Development to American Center for Mobility

ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 31, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Washtenaw Community College announced at the Mackinac Policy Conference today that it is allying a consortium of community colleges to develop training for skilled professionals at the American Center for Mobility (ACM) at Willow Run. The college also announced it is opening an office on the ACM campus to work with employers on the development of connected and automated vehicles. The office is expected to open in June.

"This will enable us to develop workforce training curricula and provide experiential learning opportunities for students hand-in-hand with industry to ensure that our education and training programs meet the needs of employers for the emerging jobs in the mobility industry," said WCC President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca.

As part of the ACM community college consortium, WCC and Wayne County Community College District are hosting a session at the Mackinac Policy Conference tomorrow (Thursday, June 1) to discuss the role of education in creating a talent pipeline for the mobility workforce.

"(WCCCD) is pleased to be among the first community college partners in the training of skilled professionals at the America Center for Mobility," stated Ivery. "The ability to harness and leverage our collective expanse of resources among the community college partners is transformational and will add value to the economic drive for this region and the State of Michigan."

Roger Curtis, director of the Michigan Department of Talent and Economic Development, will join Bellanca and Ivery on the session panel. Ann Arbor SPARK President and CEO Paul Krutko, also treasurer on the ACM board, will moderate.

"Ensuring our future workforce is ready to address the new career opportunities and changes that the connected and autonomous vehicle industries will create is important to our long-term economic success," Krutko said.

The community college consortium will focus on skill training for new and incumbent workers, including customized training for employers or university engineering programs. It will also work on developing career pathways to a certificate or associate degree for skilled professionals and for students planning to transfer to a four-year institution. Programs for K-12 students are also being considered.

WCC is leasing space on the ACM campus at Willow Run Airport through Wayne County Airport Authority, providing access to major automotive, IT and telecommunications companies working to transform the transportation industry. A physical presence at ACM will also enable WCC to develop mobility skills gap training, establish apprenticeships in mobility technology, and offer experiential learning opportunities.

Participation at the ACM is the next step in mobility workforce development for WCC, which established an Advanced Transportation Center in 2015 to meet the needs of transportation and manufacturing professionals to stay compliant, up-to-date and innovative on rapidly developing advanced manufacturing, intelligent transportation, and automotive technology.

For information about Washtenaw Community College visit: wccnet.edu.

For information about the American Center for Mobility visit: acmwillowrun.org.

SOURCE Washtenaw Community College