Planning for the future

Industry and academia partner to improve education for tomorrow's automotive engineers.

After struggling to find technically skilled workers during the dot-com boom, American industry is taking a more active role in helping universities create coursework that will help provide a steady flow of engineers who are prepared to work in today's competitive global market.

Those changes are extending in many directions, from increased emphasis on teamwork to a focus on diversity and broadened studies that include communications and more work on computer-aided design (CAD) software. Corporate America is playing a bigger role in making these changes.