DaimlerChrysler to host Education Day

Monday, April 11, DaimlerChrysler Corp. will host about 100 professional educators at the company's Education Day, an all-day event designed to inform educators about the many DaimlerChrysler educational resources available to students who want to pursue a career in industry. The program is fully funded by the company.

The event will be held at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum on the campus of the company's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., and will be hosted by W. Frank Fountain, senior vice president– external affairs and public policy, Auburn Hills.

"We know that if we are to have an educated, skilled workforce, we need to become involved in the educational process long before young job applicants reach our doors," said Fountain. "That's why we are working with these committed educators, and why we have developed the many programs designed for them and their students."

At the event, the company also will introduce two new programs that provide useful tools for young people interested in careers in the automobile industry. The first, "Cars, Children and Community," focuses on specific subjects aligned with the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test and features interactive science and social studies content. The second, "Exploring Automotive Careers," is designed to help secondary school students learn about the wide variety of career opportunities in our industry. These programs target upper middle school and high school students and have been designed to provide them, their parents and educators with a better understanding of the real world of work in the automotive sector. The initiatives complement classroom instruction with hands-on science based on automotive engineering.

These new programs are the latest in the company's continuing series of programs which connect today's classroom with tomorrow's workplace. Other programs include "World of Work," in which company employees interact with public schools and their pupils in all of our plant cities; "Mondialogo," an international dialogue between college students with a focus on cultural diversity; and "Rolling Along" and "Let's Go", programs which teach K–3 students about the automotive industry. Many of these programs are funded by the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund and involve no cost to schools or students.

The company also supports and participates in related educational programs such as U. S. FIRST Robotics and the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP), and the Automotive Youth Education Systems (AYES) program.

All of these programs focus on introducing students to the exciting world of engineering and technology, with hands-on activities. They also reinforce the need for students to be technologically astute with skills in math, science and English, and the ability to work in groups.

There is a great need for skilled employees in the automotive industry—from entry-level plant workers to senior executives. New generations of skilled employees are needed to develop the next generations of automobiles and automotive technologies.