The Automotive Manufacturing Technical Education Collaborative (AMTEC) is a joint effort of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, the Alamo Community College District, Cuyahoga Community College, Lansing Community College, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, 6 other community colleges, and 18 automotive manufacturers and their suppliers and is organized across 8 key automotive manufacturing states. AMTEC is identifying and validating the new skills needed for automotive manufacturing operations technicians including skilled maintenance, tool and die maintenance, and die/mold technicians. The project is also identifying successful advanced automotive manufacturing processes and materials for those technicians and successful methods for recruiting young people and underserved populations into manufacturing careers. The AMTEC vision is to become a nationally recognized collaboration working to strengthen the competency and global competitiveness of the automotive manufacturing workforce.
Intellectual Merit: This collaborative of colleges and companies is embracing and implementing in technical education continuous improvement methods to assure relevance to industry's needs as companies respond to rapid change. Industry requires skilled automotive operations technicians (sometimes referred to as integrated systems technology, multi-skilled maintenance or Mechatronics) who can transfer single skill, context-specific knowledge to innovative problem solving, a worker trait that is currently referred to as adaptive expertise. The project advances technical education by conducting seven national academies (four focusing on technical content, two on instructional delivery methods, and one on recruiting young people and traditionally underserved populations) and providing materials for academy participants' colleges. Core community college members use web-based meeting technology to share training and services currently used by automotive manufacturing companies.
Broader Impact: Colleges and companies from states that produced 58% of the vehicles built in the United States in 2004 are collaborating in AMTEC. AMTEC targets all populations including the traditionally underrepresented (minorities and women). New and incumbent automotive operations technicians are being better prepared to obtain and retain employment in automotive manufacturing. Colleges are improving technical education by using continuous improvement methods to conduct the STEM educational activities in ways to meet the needs of automotive manufacturers. AMTEC is continuing to network and solicit additional college and industry partners from other automotive producing states. The collective activities and products are impacting the success of automotive manufacturing in America and the 6.6 million people employed in this industry sector and better preparing the workforce of the future for employment success.
