Fueling Our Vision
- $2. 47M U. S. Department of Transportation Grant – Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT)
Washtenaw Community College and five Midwestern universities have formed a consortium for research on connected and automated vehicles at the U. S. Department of Transportation-funded Center for Connected and Automated Vehicles. The contributing universities include the University of Michigan, Purdue University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Akron and Central State University. The research priority area for CCAT is promoting safety. In addition, CCAT will focus its efforts in the field of comprehensive transportation safety, congestion, connected vehicles, connected infrastructure, and autonomous vehicles.| -
$4.4M of Michigan CC-STEP Grant
The State of Michigan CC-STEP grant was awarded in February 2015 for the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment used to support redesigned educational and training curriculum for the Advanced Transportation vision. The grant will help the college purchase equipment for Advanced Manufacturing, particularly for Machine Tool Technology and Welding programs, as well as Automotive Transportation Services, in terms of Auto Body Repair and Automotive Service. The College will also update, expand and replace existing certificate programs, specifically Auto Body Repair and Automotive Service Technician, to meet the current and projected needs of area employers. See the list of equipment.
- $300,000 U. S. Department of Labor Grant – American Apprenticeship Initiative
The U. S. Department of Labor Grant was awarded in September 2015 to support apprenticeship training in advanced manufacturing. The objective of this grant is for the WCC Workforce Development Department and its partners to design a detailed training curricula framework for an ITS and Connected Vehicle industry-recognized credential program titled Transportation Tech. The framework will serve in developing three levels of online credential training. The education and professional development of technicians in the ITS field is pivotal to the future of the nation’s infrastructure. The U. S. DOT 2015-2019 Strategic Plan recognizes two key priorities: Realizing Connected Vehicle Implementation and Advancing Automation. Technicians in these fields need to be supported with up-to-date training in a state-of-the-art environment, both of which the College will provide. The College will establish registered apprenticeship programs in Advanced Manufacturing for both WCC students and incumbent workers from the companies involved. Certificate-based registered apprenticeships will be developed using existing skill courses leading to stackable credentials tailored to each company’s needs. A pre-apprenticeship sequence will be offered to introduce new students to the industry. -
A U. S. Department of Transportation Grant was awarded for the purpose of defining competencies and educational components necessary to address skills gaps of traffic technicians in regards to vehicle-to-infrastructure technology.
- Partnership with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
UMTRI donated dedicated short range communications technology for college fleet vehicles and is providing ITS systems education and training - Partnership with Square One Education Network
Square One Education Network provides K-12 teachers training on integrating intelligent transportation and connected vehicle technology into curriculum. WCC and Square One lead 50-60 high schoolers each year in an innovative design project.