PTIO, DriveOhio Host Discussion on AVs and Ohio’s Workforce

Columbus, Ohio — Today, the Partnership for Transportation Innovation and Opportunity (PTIO) – whose members include the American Trucking Associations, Daimler, FedEx, Ford, Lyft, Toyota Motor North America, Uber, UPS and Waymo – joined stakeholders from industry, academia, and the public sector for an important discussion on autonomous vehicles and workforce impacts in Ohio.

“In visiting different communities across the country, PTIO has heard from a variety of stakeholders with a strong desire to effectively transition their workforce to a future with autonomous vehicles,” said Kathryn Branson, PTIO’s executive director. “With Ohio’s particularly strong focus on autonomous vehicles and associated workforce impacts, as evidenced in the creation of DriveOhio and the mission of the office of workforce transformation, it is abundantly clear that these are communities that are carefully considering the opportunities and challenges that may accompany emerging technologies. PTIO looks forward to continuing to work with these stakeholders to ensure workers in Ohio and across the country can secure opportunities in an autonomous vehicle future.”

The event, which included keynote remarks from Ohio’s Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, brought together a variety of perspectives, including education stakeholders from the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) and Youngstown State University; industry representatives from AAA, the Transportation Research Center, EmpowerBus, and Toyota; and government and non-profit leaders from the City of Athens, the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio, and the Ohio Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation.

To view photos from the event, click here.