Ford’s Doug VanDagens, director of its connected service solutions says that the company is on a growth binge. Engineers with skills in cloud computing and mobile software applications are in high demand.

Pasadena, CA -- (SBWire) -- 03/31/2011 -- Detroit firms, led by auto maker Ford Motor Co., are luring in computer science majors and other tech professionals from Silicon Valley.

A Bloomberg report says that Ford and other auto firms are pulling out all stops to fill up their ranks with Silicon Valley engineers. The auto industry in Detroit has been expanding its technical capabilities for which it needs huge numbers of software and related tech experts. Most of them are typically found in a high concentration in Silicon Valley. Local universities in and around Detroit are not producing enough of the graduates that these companies now need. Auto firms are interviewing promising students from far away schools such as Stanford.

Ford’s Doug VanDagens, director of its connected service solutions says that the company is on a growth binge. Engineers with skills in cloud computing and mobile software applications are in high demand. Dice, a job board has seen tech job openings double in the last one year for the Detroit metro area. Other recruiting firms based in Michigan have also seen a big demand from automakers for employees with specialized skills.

CEO A. Harrison Barnes of InformationTechnologyCrossing says that for computer professionals, Detroit could be a good move. “Detroit does have a lower cost of living compared to the Bay Area and most firms today are trying to adopt the Silicon Valley tech work culture.” Barnes’ firm has been able to compile a list of over 4,500 IT jobs in the Detroit area.