The Michigan Alliance for Greater Mobility Advancement (MAGMA) has received $125,000 from the State of Michigan to grow its work convening original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and tier suppliers, along with education institutions, workforce development, and other partners, to collectively assess and address the automotive industry’s skills and training needs, particularly around connected, autonomous, shared, and electric vehicles.
The funding comes from the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) within the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, as part of the Michigan Industry Cluster Approach (MICA) 2.0 grant initiative. MICA 2.0 seeks to support employer-led collaboratives that come together to solve a common or shared workforce problem. The WDA sees employer collaboration to address critical talent needs as a key part of the Governor’s goal to increase the number of Michiganders with postsecondary credentials from 45 percent to 60 percent.
MAGMA was formed as an employer cluster initiative under the WDA in 2009 to support OEMs, suppliers, and education providers seeking guidance in reskilling employees to meet growing demand in vehicle electrification. MAGMA has since broadened its focus from vehicle electrification to also include advanced mobility –especially connected and autonomous vehicles – cybersecurity, embedded software systems and other emerging technologies. Since 2013, the Workforce Intelligence Network (WIN) has convened and facilitated MAGMA, with the WDA sitting on the MAGMA board.
MAGMA consists of five OEMs, five tier suppliers, five education providers, and four other partner organizations hailing from nonprofits, workforce development, and State government. With the MICA 2.0 grant, MAGMA will continue to convene these partners to look for shared solutions in addressing the skills gap in advanced mobility. Currently, MAGMA is updating its short course catalog, which provides opportunities for employers to reskill new and incumbent workers and apprentices through half- to three-day courses and be eligible to receive reimbursement through the State’s Going Pro! Talent Fund. MAGMA will also continue to drive industry-led collaborative applications for GPTF, through which employers can collaborate on shared training needs and receive additional reimbursement from the State. MAGMA held a successful collaborative training earlier this year with MAGMA co-chairs BorgWarner and GKN Automotive and looks forward to growing this innovative model for training as part of the MICA 2.0 grant.
UPCOMING EVENT
MAGMA will also continue its popular quarterly advisory council meetings to champion collaboration and information sharing between OEMs, suppliers, post-secondary and secondary education providers, and other partners. The next advisory council meeting will take place Friday, December 13 at MDOT’s Southeast Michigan Transportation Operations Center in Detroit. Registration is available here. Confirmed speakers include:
- Paul Ajegba, Director, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
- Michele Mueller, Senior Project Manager, Connected and Automated Vehicles, MDOT
- Roy Goudy, Senior Principal Engineer, V2X Communications, Nissan.
