General Motors and UAW are willing to invest $250,000 into the Lake Orion and Pontiac School Districts. This first of its kind proposed partnership in the country was unveiled at the Sept. 10 school board meeting.
“We’ll be exposing people to technology,” UAW-GM Skilled Trades Apprentice Chairman Andy Copland said.
According to Copland, the two school districts were ideal for this new partnership because of the General Motors Plant. Its boundaries are in both Orion Township and Pontiac.
He emphasized the partnership wasn’t a recruiting program for GM. The idea is to promote diversity, team building and exposure to abstract subjects.
Copland said most new entrants into the labor force will be non-white, female or immigrants.
“Native white males are shrinking in the job force,” he added.
“We want to expose kids to where jobs are going to be. Kids coming from suburban districts have a tough time coming into the workforce and working for people who don’t look like them (ex: women and minorities).”
Today’s workforce is made up of 20 percent professionals (baccalaureate, professional degree); 65 percent technical, skilled workers (certificate, associates degree), 15 unskilled (high school diploma).
Nationally, less than 24 percent of the population earns a two or four year degree. Twenty one percent of the population earns a four year degree.
In Oakland County, 75 percent of students go to college. Less than 25 percent earn a four year degree. Twenty seven percent of community college students have bachelor’s degrees.
According to Copland, workers with good technical skills can earn a starting salary of up to $50,100.
The partnership requires each school district to provide some type of classroom. In Lake Orion, the room will probably be at the high school when the new addition is completed.
Copland envisions students coming into the room and being exposed to ratios, graphs, technical writing and reading manuals to learn how to do such things as build a bike. Exposure to these things, according to Copland, is necessary because companies such as General Motors requires potential employees to pass a variety of tests.
He also sees area students visiting a robotics training center and participating in job shadowing. Team building would include participating in an adventure course called Buzzard’s Ridge, located at the Orion Plant.Copland’s persuaded members of Lake Orion’s school board to be on the course for one day.