The NSF Advanced Technological Education Resource Center for Advanced Automotive Technology

Macomb Community College, Warren MI

Investigators

Abstract

The auto industry is changing faster today than it has in 100 years. These changes disrupt many traditional facets of this industry. For example, cybersecurity is now a major safety challenge for automakers working on automated vehicles, and current projections are that a quarter billion connected vehicles will be on the road by 2020. With these changes, the need for automotive technicians is expected to increase while the work becomes more technically complex. With support from NSF, Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT) responded to increasing employment opportunities in this employment segment, which offers sustainable wage employment. In this role, CAAT served as a communication conduit and connector between education and industry to expand the scope and availability of technicians and technologists in the automotive sector. In 2018, CAAT transitioned to become the NSF Advanced Technological Education Resource Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (RCAAT). RCAAT aims to support the ability of industry and education to keep pace with the technological advances in the automotive industry. RCAAT's leadership team will work closely with auto manufacturers and their suppliers to determine emerging education needs, and to ensure that the materials shared through RCAAT can prepare a skilled technical workforce that meets the needs of automotive industry employers. Through meetings, conferences, and reports, RCAAT will remain an essential connection point between academia, government, and industry to provide and disseminate vital advanced automotive technology education resources. The workforce necessary for tomorrow's automotive industry needs access to appropriate and effective education today. RCAAT aims to contribute to meeting this technological education need by expanding its library of industry-reviewed and industry-approved curricula and learning resources. In addition, the center will continue to provide a collaborative network for professional development for educators in programs supporting the rapidly evolving automotive industry. This project is funded by the NSF Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.