Global Corporate Xpansion

domestics or internationals, if you are working at a supplier and you get the chance to work at the automaker, it usually means you get more money or more responsibility. Suppliers have been the farm team for the industry. We have seen some reversal on the salary side, where engineers go back to a supplier because they get broader authority or more responsibility.

GCX: So, what does “green” mean to the future of the auto industry’s workforce?

Dziczek: It is interesting because there are jobs that have always been there, in which workers are doing the same thing, and now they are [considered] green jobs.

I don’t think as a country we have a clear definition of
what a green job is. There are all the classification systems
for what comprises industries and occupations but there
is nothing that says ‘this a green job in a green industry.’
In auto, if you are assembling a hybrid or hybrid
battery electric vehicle there, in which workers are very
different; however, for the person who puts tires or seats
in, they are likely not that different.

So we are looking at where things are different. What is the delta … that gap of skills, people and programs to train and produce people who can do this work? This has an interest from both a policy standpoint and from an employer standpoint.

GCX: What would you tell a company in regard to filling workforce needs in the industry’s new reality?

Dziczek: Several of the things that came out in our first study [“Beyond the Big Leave: The Future of U.S. Automotive Human Resources”] are still very applicable. One way to get the type of workers you want is to offer cooperating internship experiences, and working with the local educational institutions. This way you are getting people who understand your business, and who might take classes to shape their educational career to match more closely what your needs are, as opposed to getting involved with someone once they graduate.

And in the history of the industry we have had partnerships with the education systems, such as community colleges and universities, and even with high schoolers who were paired up with suppliers or auto manufacturers to learn what the industry needs in regard to talent.

I think workforce will be a crucial differentiator going forward, and those companies that form strong educational partnerships will be at an advantage. ;