Automotive employers zero in on new grads in alternative energy engineering

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, only four states have unemployment rates higher than Michigan's. But thousands of automotive related engineering positions in Michigan are begging to be filled.

Following the massive restructuring of the auto industry, which is now resourcing for design and production of hybrid and electric drive vehicles, a large gap exists between available positions and qualified engineers. Engineers with skills and experience in hybrid, propulsion, alternative energy and electric drive vehicle engineering are among those in high demand.

"Everybody is starting to hire like crazy right now," David Cole, founding member and emeritus chair of the Michigan-based Center for Automotive Research, told WardsAuto.com. "Unfortunately, there are not enough people with the right skills."

Stephen Nehez, Jr., a managing partner with Searchpath Midwest recruiting agency in Allen Park, says there are thousands of jobs now available in the "white collar, non-manufacturing technology research and development" sector. Ford Motor Company, for example, is hiring for 1,500 and General Motors Corporation is hiring for 2,000, to name a couple. In automotive, hiring always starts at the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) level and continues to the supply base, he says.

With the gap in unfilled special engineering positions, employers are zeroing in on qualified engineering graduates who may be short on experience but trained in the right skills. At the College of Engineering, students in the electric drive vehicle engineering program completing coursework in advanced battery systems are getting hired even before graduating, said Research Professor Dennis Corrigan.

Students and graduates of the alternative energy and electric drive vehicle engineering programs are signing up with battery research and development companies such as Cobasys, A123 Systems and Compact Power, as well as with Azure Dynamics and TARDEC. Nicholas Tonkin, a 2000 mechanical engineering graduate from Michigan Technological University, went back to school after nearly 10 years in the field to pursue a master's in alternative energy at Wayne State. He is now at Azure Dynamics in Oak Park working on prototype and test vehicles.

Simon Ng, associate dean of research at the college, whose proposal brought in $5 million from the Department of Energy in 2009 to develop the electric drive vehicle degree program, said a lot of the students in this and the alternative energy technology degree program are getting jobs. "We are providing the workforce and skills companies are looking for," he says.

Mark Nelson, a professional recruiter with Aerotek in Southfield, said his team is already developing automotive job contracts for students scheduled to graduate in May 2011 from Wayne State, Michigan State, University of Michigan, and Lawrence Tech.

The urgent demand for qualified engineers is borne out at job fairs where companies often recruit. Employers at job fairs at Wayne State's College of Engineering, the 2010 SAE Convergence in October 2010, and the Engineering Society of Detroit Job Fair in March 2011 all had many jobs to offer.

It doesn't appear the current situation will be resolved soon, said Nelson, who added that it will take patience as students complete their degrees, join the workforce and meet the demand.