The Education Partnership in Advanced Automotive Technology between Wayne State University and Macomb Community College is among three finalists for Automation Alley's Educational Program of the Year Award. Automation Alley is Michigan's largest technology business association.

Winners, to be announced at the group's 2011 Annual Awards Gala on Friday, Oct. 14, at MGM Grand Detroit, are chosen based on the degree to which they are judged to be innovative leaders with vision and influence.

The Education Partnership in Advanced Automotive Technology is led by C.P. Yeh, director and chair of engineering technology in Wayne State's College of Engineering, and Joseph Petrosky, dean of engineering and advanced technology at Macomb.

The partnership, supported by more than $8 million in federal grants since being established in 2005, was formed as a collaborative model for providing technology education and a skilled workforce in vehicle electrification, advanced energy storage and alternative energy in Southeast Michigan. It also aims to develop an influential network of stakeholders, experts, providers and users of advanced automotive and energy technology curricula to support growth in the region's business sector.

"Members of our partnership are pleased to be recognized as a leading effort among the many public and private entities working to move this state to the forefront in developing the technology and the workforce of the future," said Farshad Fotouhi, dean of Wayne State's College of Engineering. "I'm happy to see that our engineering technology division, along with Macomb Community College, has been named as a finalist for this award."

Other finalists include the Oakland Schools Global Trade Mission and the Utica Center for Science and Industry, led by Utica Community Schools.

"Some of our nation's most renowned leaders and innovators have called this region their home," said Ken Rogers, Automation Alley executive director. "They were pioneers in their fields, and they left a legacy of knowledge and technological advancements that are now part of our everyday lives. This year's award finalists are continuing that legacy in their work."

Automation Alley is a technology business association founded in 1999 to drive the growth and image of Southeast Michigan's economy through a collaborative culture that focuses on workforce and business development initiatives.