From MEMA Industry News
TROY, Mich. – With an estimated 600,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs due to employers being unable to find people with the skills they need, and early projections indicating the gap may widen over the next several years, bringing young talent to automotive industry is critically important. To help encourage college students to pursue careers in the automotive industry, the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA), the light vehicle original equipment division of MEMA, has developed the Generation
Auto Student Video Contest.
The video contest, organized by OESA and SAE International, with the support of Deloitte, invited students who participate in the SAE Collegiate Design Series (CDS) in the Formula SAE Michigan, Formula
SAE Lincoln/Electric, SAE Supermileage Competition, Baja SAE Illinois, Baja SAE UTEP and Baja SAE Kansas competitions to create and submit videos highlighting diverse aspects of the automotive industry that make it an attractive or “cool” industry in which to work. Cash prizes were offered to the teams with the top three videos.
At the 16th Annual OESA Outlook Conference on Nov. 11, OESA revealed the winners of the Generation Auto Student Video Contest that focused on addressing the talent shortage head on.
The winners of the 2014 contest are:
- First place ($4,000): An Industry with Infinite Possibilities – California State University Formula SAE
- Second place ($3,000): It’s A Way of Life – Team Jaabaz, VIT University, India
- Third place ($1,000): GFR for Generation Auto – Formula SAE Oregon State University
To view the winning videos, visit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhhViJMxhEd81ZEBONxRfg.
“Attracting talent to this industry is paramount to its long-term success. This video contest is a wonderful way for college students to demonstrate what drives them to pursue careers in the automotive field. Promoting the automotive industry as an attractive choice for students is critical to ensuring we are able to develop the next generation of automotive engineers,” said Julie Fream, president and CEO of OESA. “As we have seen with these videos, there is young talent who believes there is a future for them in this industry.”
OESA will continue working with industry groups including Deloitte, SAE International, suppliers and universities to integrate these videos into promotions to demonstrate the automotive industry is a cool place to work. OESA members and associated companies are encouraged to use these videos for recruitment purposes as they grow their outreach to potential and future employees.
