Workshop promotes women in advanced transportation

ATCCreated to help students, particularly women, to explore career paths in the field of Advanced Transportation, Washtenaw Community College will host a “Highway to High Demand Jobs in Advanced Transportation” workshop.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 14 in the Morris Lawrence building. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.

Participants can expect a hands-on tour of the WCC welding lab; an array of advanced transportation focused exhibits; exposure to industry professionals; and a panel session moderated by WCC’s Advanced Transportation Center (ATC) Director Al Lecz.

WCC’s Advanced Transportation Center was developed to meet the growing demand for skilled technicians in the rapidly growing industries of Automotive Transportation Servicing, Intelligent Transportation Systems, and Advanced Manufacturing.

These career fields will enhance public safety by focusing on ways to prevent vehicle collisions, better manage traffic patterns and combat cyber security threats.

The hands-on workshop is part of the “Highway To High Demand Jobs” series that’s sponsored by the WCC Student Resource Center. The series is held twice a year on the WCC campus.

“We want young women to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and learn how these skills will prepare them for jobs in advanced manufacturing,” said Eleanor Brundage, case manager at WCC’s Student Resource Center.

“Curricula in our Advanced Transportation Center provides students with both academic and hands-on learning experiences to assure they are well prepared to enter the workforce with industry skills for the jobs of today and those in the near future.”

Students will walk away from the workshop with a better understanding of how new technologies are changing the types of skills required for jobs, including automotive service technician, transportation systems maintenance and operations technician, and intelligent transportation systems technician.

Kristin Dziczek, director of the Industry Labor Group at the Center for Automotive Research, will serve as the event’s keynote speaker. Race car driver and STEM supporter Clarity Newhouse, as well as Roush Shop Supervisor Michael Berns will join Dziczek for the panel discussion.

Registration is required by Friday, April 8. To register, visit wccnet.edu/advancedtransportation. For more information, call 734-677-5105. To learn more about the WCC Advanced Transportation Center, visit wccnet.edu/atc.

By Princess Gabbara

Writer, Public Relations

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