Oakland University's Applied Technology in Business (ATiB) program recently received Automation Alley's 2002 Educational Program of the Year Award.

The award is granted to an undergraduate or graduate educational curriculum that impacts industry in a positive way with skilled labor in a generally thin labor market.

Key considerations for the award include identifying partnerships between education and business (industry group or technology company) and discussing the benefits achieved; describing a work-study program or an internship; and providing quantitative information including number of graduates in the program in the past three years and regional retention.

The ATiB program, in OU’s School of Business Administration, is a unique business minor, the first of its kind in Michigan, which combines a rigorous education with hands-on training in the application of information technology in business.

The focus of the program is on solving business problems using technology, learning how to communicate technology to others and training them.

ATiB alumni bring a unique educational mix of business and technology to their employers, which is a background that is not part of a general business degree.

Since its inception in 1997, more than 45 corporations, many of which are members of Automation Alley, have sponsored ATiB. The program encourages partnerships between the university and the business community and enhances learning opportunities for students while providing benefits to corporate sponsors.

The Automation Alley Consortium develops programs to support members in their efforts to attract world-class, high-tech workers to Oakland County. Working with government agencies, the consortium has turned Oakland County into an internationally recognized economic powerhouse. Automation Alley's 1,800 progressive businesses compete head-to-head and brain-to-brain with other technology centers such as California's Silicon Valley and Boston's Route 128 for the world's best employment prospects.