The Detroit Advanced Manufacturing Regional Skill Alliance Is a Project Administered And

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Detroit Regional Manufacturing Skills Alliance Announces Forum Series Highlighting Centers of Expertise

DETROIT, February 20/The Detroit Regional Manufacturing Skills Alliance announced today the first in a series of five forums highlighting program activities that will help prepare, attract, and retain a highly skilled workforce for manufacturing in Southeast Michigan.

All manufacturers are invited to join us at Schoolcraft College for Highlighting Southeast Michigan Community College Consortium and their Nine Centers of Expertise (COE) in Advanced Manufacturing and Alternative Energy. This first, highly interactive session will be held on Wednesday, April 10, 7:30 a.m. (breakfast) until 10:00 a.m. and has been developed especially for the industry. To register for this event, go to: www.detroitchamber.com/events

ABOUT Michigan Community College Consortium and the Centers of Expertise The consortium is a creative partnership of 9 community colleges in SE Michigan who are creating Centers of Expertise (COE) to meet industry needs with very innovative solutions. Their focus is to provide the industry and its workforce with advanced manufacturing curriculum through:

 New state of the art equipment and hands on training  Leveraging of funds across the 9 colleges  Faculty training in new methodologies and concepts and  Sharing of resources, curriculum and equipment across the 9 college campuses

Consortium Centers of Expertise (COE) include:

Advanced Manufacturing and Design:  Educational Tools & Career Development Strategies for Skilled Trades & Maintenance Technicians  Electro-Mechanical Learning Tools in Automation Based Manufacturing Systems  The Design Professional- A New Career Ladder and Educational Pathway for Designers  Lead College: Henry Ford; Collaborating Colleges: Oakland, Schoolcraft. Advanced Manufacturing & Innovation Education:  Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, Laboratory, and Product Incubator.  Entrepreneurship, Product Design, Development and Commercialization.  The Innovation Process.  Innovation in Advanced Manufacturing Technology.  New Methods in Machine Tool Technology.  Lead College: Washtenaw; Collaborating Colleges: Henry Ford, Mott, Macomb, Wayne Advanced Manufacturing & Automation Integration:  Advanced Manufacturing Automation Integration, Electro-Mechanical Systems.  Educational Pipeline Development.  Design Programs Meeting Industry’s Changing Business Model.  Advanced Manufacturing Technologies using CAD/CAM/CAE.  Advanced Manufacturing Maintenance Skills.

of 3  Lead College: Henry Ford; Collaborating College: Monroe County.

of 3 Product Lifecycle Management:  The Product Development Process: Design Concept to Production Implementation.  Facilitating Innovation and Entrepreneurship by understanding the product lifecycle.  Using digital tools to design better products & optimize performance of manufacturing systems.  Lead College: Mott; Collaborating College: Schoolcraft. Alternative Energy and Alternative Fuels:  Hybrid Electric Technologies.  Hydrogen Fuel Cells.  Automotive Technologies including Service.  Lead Colleges: Macomb [Alternative Fuels]. Oakland [Alternative Energy Vacuum Technologies], St. Clair County [Solar & Wind Energies].

ABOUT Detroit Regional Manufacturing Skills Alliance The Detroit Regional Manufacturing Skill Alliance is a partnership administered and managed by the Detroit Regional Chamber that’s mission and vision is to see the manufacturing sector in southeast MI remains and surpasses benchmarks in the field for quality and market share. The makeup of the partners includes the government, education, labor and non profit communities, along with key industry players who are learning from and with each other as various projects and activities are planned and implemented. For 2008, the Board of the RSA has chosen 4 focus areas of concentration:  Communication to and with the public (which also includes examining and improving the image of the industry).  Connecting the various players with each other, therefore helping to eliminate duplicative, parallel universes running similar programs but unaware of each other and resource reallocation plan that re- focuses scarce assets so that funding streams are not at cross purposes with each other. Partnerships and Collaboration are key drivers.  Identification and marketing of model programs developed and delivered by various groups, especially those that have the manufacturers as a key element in the creation of curriculum and implementation.  Establishment of a web portal dedicated solely and driven by identified needs of the manufacturers to access the education and training courses, certificate programs, and degreed classes that are available to their incumbent workforce.

For more information, contact: Robert Troutman, Director, Workforce Development Detroit Regional Chamber (313) 596-0478 [email protected] Or visit the Detroit Chamber website at www.detroitchamber.com

SOURCE: Detroit Regional Chamber, Southeastern Michigan Community College Consortium, Michigan Regional Skills Alliance and the Greater Detroit Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development.

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