PR2011 Oct 1

Press Information

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: