WCX™ 2019 Provides the Technical Content to Prepare for the Evolving Workforce
The workforce across the automotive mobility industry is changing rapidly, as evident in the recent restructuring within General Motors and predictions for similar skill adjustments within Ford. In the face of this evolution, professionals need ways to prepare for tomorrow’s challenges. But to respond to the industry’s new demands, you first have to identify them.
Cofounder and President of the Detroit Mobility Lab Chris Thomas regularly talks to OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to gauge the industry’s needs. He believes mobility must shift away from specialists in specific areas, and will need well-rounded professionals with multidisciplinary grounding in robotics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and computer science.
“Currently, there’s a demand that outstrips supply by six times for individuals with those specialties,” Thomas said. “There’s huge value there.”
Thomas is invested in preparing a workforce to meet those needs. The first initiative of the Detroit Mobility Lab, the Michigan Mobility Institute, will offer a one-year master of mobility, in partnership with other universities, starting in 2021. The institute will also create opportunities at every level, from grade school to post-doctorate, to find and educate professionals eager to impact mobility.
Cutting-Edge Mobility Education
Engineers can get started on that training April 9-11 in Detroit. SAE International is committed to bringing the industry an education lineup that covers mobility’s most pressing topics, including robotics, cybersecurity, AI, and computer science. WCX 2019 offers more than 1000 hours of technical content in all of these topics.
Gain the skills you need to prepare for today’s workforce in sessions that cover electronics, connectivity, IoT, smart cities, design and manufacturing, advanced propulsion/powertrain, materials and lightweighting, environment, emissions and sustainability, occupant and pedestrian safety, and much more. In expert panels and professional development workshops, you’ll delve into systems engineering, electronics design, intelligent transportation systems, cybersecurity, and more and listen in on discussions about big data, biomimicry, autonomous vehicles, and electronics design verification.
'The Arsenal of Mobility'
It’s fitting that WCX is in Detroit, a special entity that Thomas said has the opportunity to be a global leader.
“Detroit is the arsenal of mobility,” he said. “It’s an amazing place that has the chance to supply the talent and the technology and the transportation systems to the world that are going to move the world.”
But whether the Motor City will win the future of mobility isn’t the big question, he added. Whether Detroit will be relevant, with professionals and tradespeople poised to contribute to tomorrow’s challenges, is what’s imperative.
Start Training for Tomorrow Today
WCX puts the power to advance the future of mobility in your hands through its premier technical program that will keep you up-to-date on mobility technology and help evolve your career and business. Explore all the WCX technical sessions where you’ll address today’s challenges with subject-matter experts from around the globe.
