Coalition to shed light on economic impact of autonomous vehicles

A group of businesses, nonprofits, and advocates from the autonomous vehicle ecosystem launched the U.S. AV Jobs Coalition. The organization aims to provide research about the economic impact of autonomous vehicles (AVs).

The coalition will share resources, statistics, and initiatives that illustrate the workforce impacts of AVs on the U.S. economy. Visitors to the website will find a compilation of research articles, existing training programs, policy recommendations, fact sheets, and other resources. Event organizers and members of the press can also find workforce experts in the coalition’s speaker’s bureau.

“Autonomous vehicles will transform transportation — making it safer, more sustainable, and more accessible. This technology will also bring changes to the transportation workforce, and has already created new career opportunities for today’s workers,” Tara Andringa, executive director of Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE), which helped to launch the coalition, said. “We are building a robust directory of information on AVs and the workforce to help others better understand what this technology could mean for workers and the economy. That’s what this effort is all about.”

The U.S. AV Jobs Coalition will officially launch at TRB’s Automated Road Transportation Symposium this week in San Diego at a conference session.

“This body of research makes clear that self-driving innovation is a catalyst for job creation and strong economic growth. There’s a real, achievable path for state and local governments to welcome autonomous vehicles and thereby promote investment in their communities, enhance safety, and create jobs,” Mufaddal Ezzy, senior director of Public Affairs at Aurora, said.

Policy recommendations

The coalition says AVs present a generational opportunity to create safer roads, promote accessibility, ease supply chain challenges, and create new jobs for American workers. To take advantage of this, U.S. AV Jobs believes a policy framework needs to be put into place to support a clear pathway to AV development. The coalition provides four options for states to prepare for AV workforce opportunities:

Invite Stakeholder Input: The coalition says government agencies should establish a workforce innovation committee made up of a balanced group of government, worker, and industry representatives appointed by the state governor. This committee would serve as a partnership between government, workers, and industry to prepare workforce recommendations as the AV industry advances.

Conduct Research: It’s important to conduct and fund research projects in coordination with industry players, the coalition says. This gives the state the opportunity to do things like evaluate how many AV jobs will be created and identify ways to leverage community needs and opportunities to create jobs throughout the AV ecosystem.

Build Programs: States should create new programs, and curriculums, and enhance existing workforce programs. The coalition says it’s important to leverage existing programs and workforce opportunities in the AV industry based on research, deployment timelines, and best practices.

Invest in the Future: Finally, government agencies should establish grant programs for community colleges, universities, and other educational institutions. Implementing autonomous vehicle-related training programs ensures workers can take advantage of high-quality jobs of the future.