In Dearborn (Michigan), Ford Motor Co is expanding more than two decades of support for FIRST — a ‘robotics community’ that prepares young people for the future — by becoming a FIRST Strategic Partner to encourage STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) learning for students of all ages, as the company leads a ‘disruption of the auto industry with new transportation solutions such as autonomous vehicles’.
Larry Cohen, president of FIRST, said: “We are proud to recognise Ford Motor Co as a Strategic Partner. Its dedication and involvement has spanned more than 20 years, and tens of thousands of students have been mentored by Ford employees.
"FIRST participants are two- to three-times more likely to have gains in STEM career interest, and we know that sparking this interest is critical for closing the skills gap of the current STEM workforce.
"Together with Ford, we will continue to inspire more students to pursue STEM — and provide role models, mentorship and pathways to successful and productive lives.”
Ford’s increased strategic investment comes as the company continues to build high-tech skills globally and develops advanced technologies such as autonomous vehicles that ‘promise to reshape the world’s transportation systems’.
Ford says it will leverage this growing presence to encourage even more mentorship and volunteering from its employee base of 191,000 people world-wide, as it continues hiring experts with advanced STEM skillsto fuel the industry’s most significant transformation.
Ken Washington, Ford’s chief technology officer (
www.corporate.ford.com), said: “Inspiring next-generation innovators has never been more important, in a world where technology is transforming so many parts of our lives so quickly — and the rate of change is speeding up.
"This is why Ford is not waiting for change to happen, but instead leading a number of disruptions such as autonomous vehicles that could work with robots for more-efficient e-commerce deliveries that will usher in a new era of transportation.
"To create this future, we are counting on a talented workforce of the type that FIRST’s efforts are helping us to secure.”