Oakland County Commissions Survey on Autonomous Vehicle Industry Employment

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Oakland County has authorized a regional survey that will ask autonomous vehicle industry employers what skills, knowledge, and abilities they require of potential employees.

“Rather than just jump into the fray, we are attempting with this survey to find out from the prospective employers what skills they are looking for in this highly technical field,” says Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. “Instead of guessing what they want, why not ask them what they need?”

The connected/autonomous vehicle Skills Needs Assessment Project, which will survey equipment manufacturer, supplier, and information technology companies, is expected to begin this month with results available by the end of the year.

Oakland County is home to hundreds of R&D facilities, many of which are global companies active in the autonomous vehicle space including Autoliv, Continental, Denso, Delphi, Google, Lear, Nissan, P3, and Valeo.

“The technology and the workforce for the autonomous vehicles are all right here,” says Irene Spanos, director of economic development for the county. “The study results will help shape K-12, college, and university curriculum and content, giving real-time employer-driven information to students and parents to help them make career decisions and have a real chance for success.”

The survey, which is the fourth in a series of employer job surveys commissioned by Oakland County, will be conducted by EdEn Inc., a Rochester-based research firm.