YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN (October 16, 2017) – Washtenaw Community College joined 14 Michigan colleges and universities to form the Academic Consortium with the American Center for Mobility. The ACM and academic institutions signed the agreement today at Willow Run Airport with Gov. Rick Snyder in attendance.
Gov. Snyder praised WCC’s mobility technician training program at the event and said that the college is looking ahead to the high-demand jobs of the future.
“One day mobility technicians will be needed at every dealership in the country to repair and maintain mobility equipment that will be on every vehicle,” said Snyder.
The Academic Consortium agreement establishes a structure and a process for Michigan colleges and universities to work with the ACM on education, workforce training, outreach programs, collaborative research, and joint funding opportunities among other cooperative activities.
“The ACM Academic Consortium will provide Washtenaw Community College with strategic access to major automotive, telecommunications and IT companies working to transform the transportation industry through the development of connected and automated vehicle technologies,” said WCC President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca.
In addition to its participation in the Academic Consortium, WCC recently opened an office at Willow Run Airport to develop workforce training and experiential learning opportunities for new and incumbent workers and students.
The college plans to offer the following non-credit training courses through its Willow Run office:
- Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Field Technician - Participants who complete the program will be able to diagnose, troubleshoot and repair a variety of intelligent transportation systems equipment and network infrastructure.
- Fiber Optic Installer – This program will train entry-level workers to bury or find buried fiber optic lines using detecting meters. The fiber optic network lays the groundwork for connected vehicle and autonomous vehicle communication.
- Fiber Optic Technician - Participants will learn how to diagnose, troubleshoot and repair fiber optic infrastructure.
- Mobility Analyst Training - Students with strong computer skills, knowledge of business office systems and networking will work on big data analytics.
Washtenaw Community College is also moving forward on its consortium of community colleges with Macomb Community College and Wayne County Community College District to develop programs focused on vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-everything, and global logistics.
Participation in the ACM is the next step in mobility workforce development for WCC, which opened its Advanced Transportation Center in 2015. The ATC was established 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.
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For information about the American Center for Mobility visit: acmwillowrun.org.
[Media contact: Susan Ferraro, WCC Director of Media Relations, 734-677-5295.]