Skill Shortages Assessment
Todd Lipscomb
Davenport University

Executive Summary As the world continues to evolve, along with the United States, there is a sense of urgency placed on trying to continually innovate new technologies. As we are currently on the rebound from the worst recession since the great depression in 1927, the automotive industry that was such a big part in forming our country tries to rebound itself. However this time it is not happening in Motor City Detroit. The new innovation is occurring on the west coast of California and Nevada. Tesla Motors Inc. is leading the way with bringing life back to the electric automobile and revolutionizing the automobile industry. Tesla Motors is continually growing each day, and changing the way things are done with new innovative ideas. They are succeeding as their employees’ are quote the best of the best in their field. With that being said however there is a skill shortage within the word of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), which is a crucial part to success with Tesla Motors. The STEM skill shortage is a tough skill to learn, as most lose interest before they can achieve the right amount of skill to join the elite like Tesla. With Tesla Motors expanding into Nevada with a battery plant, it has drawn a lot of attention to the fact that there is already a shortage of STEM skill workers, and this could make the shortage even worse. Throughout this research project we will develop a plan to eliminate the skill shortage for Tesla, and create some new practices into which they can close the gap in STEM skill workers.
Introduction
The automotive industry has seen many highs and lows through its long history of existence. Intriguing is how the industry began, and how after a series of changes, heartaches, and bankruptcies it has all came back full circle. The same industry, which seemed doomed, has begun to rebound itself with the same concepts that started it to begin with. One of the major contributors to the inclined growth in the industry is Tesla Motors, an auto manufacturing company that specializes in manufacturing electric vehicles. Tesla Motors was founded in January of 2002 by Martin Heberhard and Marc Tarpenning with a goal in mind. These gentleman had the goal of reinventing the electric car, which would go on as you will see to create an industry changing revolution. Tesla Motors may have made another revolution in the automotive industry, but as the company gets ready to start up in Reno, Nevada the company has added more attention to the skill shortage issue plaguing many companies including Tesla. The company Tesla is facing a STEM, (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), skill shortage for its STEM positions. This was a problem facing the State of Nevada already, and un-intentionally Tesla Motors seems to be adding to the problem. While Tesla Motors is giving a giant boost to the Nevada economy, it is also bringing more attention to the issue of skill shortages with in the automotive industry.
Description of Industry, Industry Trends As electric cars become more and more popular in today’s world, the electric car was actually popular in early 1900’s. “38 percent of U.S. automobiles are powered by electricity. But as Henry Ford designed the much cheaper T-Ford, the electric cars began to disappear” (THE FORBIDDEN TESLA TIMELINE," 2014). Much like in current times, with the exception of the recent decline in oil prices, in the 1970’s an oil and fuel shortage was imminent. With the imminent fuel shortage, as predicted by Steward Udall, it would have a direct impact on a shift of direction in the automotive industry. Steward Udall, “a former Secretary of the Interior for the Kennedy Administration, believed the auto industry was in an unsustainable growth pattern based on the folly that cheap gas prices would persist indefinitely” (Resnick, 2012). Udall stated this one year prior to the fuel shortage. The significance