A consortium of community colleges in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee plan for a National Center of Excellence in Automotive Manufacturing. The automotive manufacturing sector has changed dramatically from reliance on assembly-line workers to a decentralized, "lean manufacturing" model using multiple suppliers and computer-based technologies. The goal of the Center is to improve the capacity and capability of community and technical colleges to attract and educate high skill, multifaceted technicians for the automotive manufacturing industry, about 80% of which resides in the geographic area of the consortium. The planning activities are to develop a common vision based upon the experience and expertise of colleges and individuals involved and an organization for a virtual center to implement the vision using Internet based techniques and media to facilitate communication. A major conference and regional workshops are used to obtain descriptions of workforce needs from all constituencies and determine their level of commitment. An industry-based advisory board guides the development and information is sought from research and consulting groups specializing in the automotive manufacturing industry.
