Detroit — Auto supplier Grupo Antolin's Michigan-based subsidiary is working with nearby Macomb Community College's tech program to run its first training program in the United States.
The trade school is designed to help the interior auto parts molder sustain its workforce and operations as technology continues to change. It's the third Grupo Antolin Dual Trade School to open since the auto supplier launched the first two in Spain and Germany.
Macomb Technical Education Center, which teaches advanced integrated manufacturing, automated systems and robotics courses on its Warren campus, will bestow certificates to graduates of the six-month class. Two students, set to graduate in April, will be offered employment at the Grupo's new Shelby Township facility in suburban Detroit, where the manufacturer announced in February it will hire a total of 210 new workers.
The school trains candidates for controls technician, maintenance technician and assembly process technician roles. Grupo plans to expand the program to other plants as it seeks to build a global network of education centers, it said in a news release.
Grupo Antolin, which employs 26,000 worldwide, is among the top automotive interior suppliers for doors, lighting, cockpits and overheads. The Spain-based manufacturer employees 4,500 in 15 production centers in the United States, with its U.S. operations based in Auburn Hills, Mich.