The plight of auto makers during this recession has received a great deal of media attention. In fact, there are many who are basically counting them out, thinking that they are so far behind and that the problems facing the industry are so complex that they won't be able to make a come back. However, law makers and visionaries have been asking questions about the state of America's automotive industry and pushing for auto manufactures to come up with ways to make a more sustainable business model. The thought is that if the nation's auto manufacturers invested time and resources into building different, greener cars they would be able to resurrect the country as a leader in automotive innovation. And there have been great strides in trying to make that vision a reality.
Recently, Gadsden State Community College in Alabama was recently awarded a $1,713,314 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a sustainable education program for Alabama's automobile industry. According to CARCAM, this is what this grant will provide-
“The five-college Consortium for Alabama Regional Center for Automotive Manufacturing (CARCAM) expands to nine colleges and builds on previous work to develop and implement a sustainable educational delivery system to educate the region's next generation of motivated, multi-skilled technicians for the automotive-related manufacturing industry. State-wide partnerships are leveraged to produce process-oriented technical education programs that emphasize 21st century skills and problem-solving methods as well as integrate aspects of modern production systems and sustainable, lean /green manufacturing, automated control systems and mechatronics. Building on collaborations with other ATE projects and centers, governmental agencies and professional societies, automotive and related manufacturing technical courses and professional development are redesigned so they can be delivered effectively via hybrid and distance education. Career coach programs, summer camps and social networking applications are used to increase student awareness and interest in career pathway options and manufacturing degrees. The evaluation plan measures increases in student enrollment, degree completion and dissemination of successful practices.”
It is a good start, and I am interested in seeing if other states will also seek to find funding to help their automotive manufacturing community. If those involved in the field are willing to look for ways to train workers and designer and help them embrace the idea of a greener vehicle, then there is a good chance that the face of the American automobile will change. Which would mean tremendous profits for the auto industry and new jobs in manufacturing. America is famous for its ingenuity and can-do spirit, and this just another example of not giving up.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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