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Date: October 1, 2011
Contact: Felyicia Jerald
Telephone: +1 205 507 3507
Mercedes-Benz and Shelton State Partner to Provide Students with Technical Training and Job Opportunities
New mechatronics program combines classroom instruction, on-the-job training at the Mercedes plant, and financial incentives for students.
Ideal candidates for the program are students with a passion for the automotive business.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA – The Mercedes-Benz plant wants more Alabama
students and their parents to realize there are lots of jobs in the auto
industry – and more on the way as Mercedes-Benz brings more complex
models to Alabama over the next few years. Plant leaders have enlisted
Shelton State Community College as one of several partners to help get the
word out, then to provide the training students will need to jump-start their
career.
Students interested in applying for the Mercedes-Benz Industrial Mechatronics
Program must first apply for admission to Shelton State, and
then apply to be accepted into the program. The application process is
getting underway this week and the 40 candidates will start the program in
January 2012.
“Mechatronics is the integration of mechanics, electronics and computer
science in the manufacturing of products,” said Markus Schaefer, President
& CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI). “With customers
wanting more features in their vehicles, there’s no end in sight to the cutting
edge technology and increasing vehicle complexity we expect in the future.
We saw this program as one way to plant the seeds to help meet Alabama’s
future workforce needs in the automotive industry, as well as support the
knowledge and world-class skill sets necessary for today’s technologically
advanced, modern vehicles.”
Students who are accepted into the program must complete seven (7) terms
of instruction at Shelton State, and upon successful completion of the
coursework, they will earn an Associate degree in Applied Science-Industrial
Electronics and receive a Short Certificate in Industrial Maintenenance.
MBUSI will then offer the top 75 % of students who successfully complete
the program a full-time job in production. Some of these students will get
further opportunities for more technical certification in the Mercedes-Benz
Industrial Mechatronics Maintenance Program, which will involve 18
months of extended training at MBUSI. Students will be paid for work they
perform at MBUSI during their studies at Shelton, and the students’ work
assignments at MBUSI will reinforce the skills learned in the classroom.
After the first term, MBUSI will offer assistance with tuition, fees and books
for those who excel in the classroom.
"We are most excited about this new partnership with Mercedes and the
opportunities it will afford our students,” said Shelton State Community
College President Mark A. Heinrich, PhD. “Mercedes' commitment to our
community mirrors that of Shelton State - to provide high-quality
employment training for all of west Alabama, filling current needs, and
preparing students for the future."
The new Mercedes-Benz Industrial Mechatronics program is part of a broad
range of academic programs offered by the plant in partnership with
Shelton, the University of Alabama and Alabama Industrial Development
Training (AIDT) to grow and develop its existing and future workforce,
including:
Maintenance Apprenticeship Program - Comprehensive
maintenance training program covering topics such as
metallurgy, as well as teaching machine shop, welding skills and
electrical skills.
MBUSI Co-op Program Cooperative education programs with
Alabama four-year colleges and universities.
Daimler CAReer Intern – A global professional training
program for Engineering or Business students.
Graduate Fellowship Program with the University of Alabama
Launched in the Fall of 2010 to cultivate management and
leadership principles among graduate students in the
manufacturing environment.
“In the coming months, we also hope to announce details about an
Automotive Technician program and a PhD program,” said Schaefer. “With
this new program at Shelton, we now have available a window of opportunity
for students of all levels -- from recent high school grads to students getting
their Masters’ degrees – to carve out their path in the automotive industry.”
For more information or to apply for the Mercedes-Benz Industrial
Mechatronics program, candidates should visit
www.sheltonstate.edu/admissions.aspx and complete an on-line admission
application. Afterwards, students should visit www.mbusi.com/mech and
follow steps outlined.
About MBUSI
The Tuscaloosa plant was founded in 1995 and started production in 1997.
The Mercedes-Benz M-Class was the first product and has been built ever
since the start of production in 1997, later joined by the SUVs of the GL- and
R-Class. In 2010, the plant produced more than 125,000 vehicles and
employed more than 2,800 team members at the end of the year. As of 2014,
the Tuscaloosa plant will be one of the four global production locations of the
successor generation of the current Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and will build
these vehicles for the North American market.
Further information from Mercedes-Benz is available at:
www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com
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