Ford to be joined by Google in train station ‘ecosystem’; state commits new resources to Detroit

“We’ve been talking with (Google) about the importance of bringing the community into this program in the right way for, of course, job training and making sure that people are prepared for the next generation of jobs,” Culler said in an interview with Crain’s. “And we felt Google was a terrific partner, in particular with some of the programs they’re leading.”

Google’s computer-coding programs will be “a game-changer as we think about training the next generation of employees,” Culler said.

Much of the training will be done virtually, Culler said, acknowledging that it’s unclear whether Google will need to lease space in the train station or an adjacent building on the campus.

Google has an existing Detroit office next to Little Caesars Arena in The District Detroit that it opened in November 2018.

“Obviously, together, we’ll be working through the details,” said Culler, who also is president of the Ford Fund, the automaker’s philanthropic arm. “But, ideally, the concept is that as a founding partner, Google will bring that program to this broader public partnership program and this will be a really exciting job-training component to the broader ecosystem … of the entire innovation district that we’re creating.”

Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. and Google company officials plan to announce Google’s role at Michigan Central on Friday morning during a press conference inside the train station.

“This partnership will expand our work in Michigan and help a substantial number of people gain the skills and tools they need to succeed,” Ruth Porat, senior vice president and CFO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc.

“By offering digital skills training, mentoring to high schoolers learning to code and Google Cloud technology for Michigan Central projects and research on the future of mobility, we look forward to contributing to Michigan Central’s mission and all it will accomplish,” Porat added.

Ford has said it is investing $950 million in the mobility innovation campus in Corktown, including $740 million alone for the rehabilitation of the 109-year-old train station building and the adjacent Book Depository building. A third new office building is being planned on vacant land across Vernor Highway from the train station.

The automaker has said it plans to base 2,500 of its employees who work in the research and development of autonomous and electric vehicle technologies across the Corktown campus. Ford plans to recruit suppliers, tech companies, mobility startups and possibly other automakers to bring an additional 2,500 workers to the campus, Culler said.