TechForce Foundation Announces its 2018 Techs Rock Awards Winners

Five automotive and motorcycle technicians recognized as outstanding mentors, role models and professionals at work and in their communities

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — December 20, 2018 — TechForce Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on championing students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional technicians, announces the 2018 winners of its first annual Techs Rock Awards. The awards recognize working technicians who are striving to mentor and inspire the next generation of technicians, bringing excellence to their workplaces and communities, and demonstrating passion and commitment to the profession.

“Our country’s technicians are the backbone of the transportation industry and work diligently every day to keep America rolling. They’re skilled professionals who also give generously of their time and talent –both at work and in their communities– to inspire the next generation of qualified technicians,” states Jennifer Maher, Executive Director of TechForce Foundation. “They deserve our appreciation and recognition.”

More than 250 working techs nationwide were nominated for one of five categories, including Pay it Forward, Rookie of the Year, Die Hard Tech, Outstanding Mentor, and Barrier Buster. TechForce Foundation’s panel of industry judges included Miss Bogi Lateiner, Mr. Jeff Allen, Mr. Steve Johnson, Mr. Greg Rintala, and Miss Julia Landauer. Each celebrity judge selected a category winner, who will receive a TechForce $1,000 tool voucher sponsored by Snap-on®. Congratulations to Michael Cole, Kunes Country Ford in Delavan, Wisconsin receiving the Techs Rock Award – Pay It Forward; Andrew Fields, Rob Sight Ford in Kansas City, Missouri receiving the Techs Rock Award – Rookie of the Year; Erik Craddock, Firestone Complete Autocare in Appleton, Wisconsin receiving the Techs Rock Award – Die Hard Tech;  Shane Conley – Suzuki Motors of America in Brea, California receiving the Techs Rock Award – Outstanding Mentor; Wayne Quiggins – Southern Cycles in Apopka, Florida receiving the Techs Rock Award – Barrier Buster.

These five finalists went on to an online, people’s choice award vote in which more than 30,000 votes were cast. “It’s been amazing to see the energy, enthusiasm and engagement the industry’s had for the Techs Rock Awards,” shares Julia Landauer, participating judge and NASCAR race car driver. “This award isn’t about how fast they can turn a wrench or their technical achievements, but about giving back, being involved in the lives of future techs, and helping others who want to follow in their steps succeed.”

“These technicians are directly impacting their communities and their organizations and showing us firsthand that a career as a transportation tech is one that both they and the future techs who they’re inspiring can take sincere pride in,” adds Bogi Lateiner, participating judge, board member of TechForce Foundation and owner of Bogi’s Garage and 180° Automotive. In the end, the one-week, public online vote determined that Michael Cole was the Grand Prize Winner, receiving roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations to Scottsdale, Arizona to enjoy Arizona Auto Week 2019 and be honored at the annual TechForce Foundation Summit.

Mr. Cole is currently a working tech for Kunes Country Ford in Delavan, Wisconsin.  Upon hearing he won the national People’s Choice vote, Mr. Cole shared, “I’m not used to having all this attention on me. It’s kind of weird, but I’m enjoying it.”

About the 2018 TechForce Foundation Techs Rock Award winners:

Grand Prize Winner and “Pay it Forward” Category Winner:
Michael Cole – Kunes Country Ford in Delavan, Wisconsin Why Michael was nominated:

“Mike is incredibly smart and passionate about teaching. He works with future techs from the local tech college by letting them shadow him in the shop, volunteers with Boy Scouts as both a board member and teacher and often spends time teaching them how to weld. He also helps the technical college build circuit boards for training. Mike teaches leadership to his Scouts as well as in the shop. He believes we are all students in the process of self-improvement. He is very knowledgeable and is always willing to help other techs in the shop. He is patient and kind when helping others and never talks down to anyone.”

“Rookie of the Year” Category Winner:
Andrew Fields – Rob Sight Ford in Kansas City, Missouri

Why Andrew was nominated: “His hard work since then has driven him to become one of the most promising up-and-coming technicians that I have ever had the opportunity to work with. It is important to understand what makes up that promise for Andy: whether its consistently having one of the best attitudes across the dealership, his overall job performance, his educational accomplishments, his communication skills or, most importantly, what he does to help mentor and develop young men and women into becoming successful technicians in both the dealership and community. And while I think that his personal accomplishments are of serious significance, it’s the type of impact he makes as an individual in the dealership and in the technician community that make him an absolute gift to work with each and every day.”

“Die Hard Tech” Category Winner:
Erik Craddock – Firestone Complete Autocare in Appleton, Wisconsin

Why Erik was nominated: “All he had was the drive and the dream to one day master the role of a tech. After taking advantage of the training available to him over the years, he is now an ASE Automotive Master Certified technician with the L1 Advanced level certification. He is a die-hard stickler for making sure that every car that is repaired at his facility is done right the first time – even if he isn’t the tech who serviced the vehicle. This includes making sure that the customers’ vehicles are at least as clean as they were before being serviced! He always comes in early & will often stay late to make sure that all vehicles are done within the time promised to the customers.”

“Outstanding Mentor” Category Winner:
Shane Conley – Suzuki Motors of America in Brea, California

Why Shane was nominated: “Shane has been teaching motorcycle and power equipment students for many years with an attention to detail and passion unmatched by anyone I know. His approach is unique and extremely effective – and he never leaves a student behind. His YouTube training videos have motivated me and helped me in many troubleshooting scenarios. He’s even taken time out of his personal schedule to chat with me on the phone as I diagnosed problems on my own ORV. I call him a friend and a great person with the desire to teach. He’s currently at Suzuki teaching the technicians. In what little spare time he has, he also runs his own repair facility, where his “How2Wrench” video studio is located. I feel he is a rare example of leadership and patience and fully deserves this award.”

“Barrier Buster” Category Winner:
Wayne Quiggins – Southern Cycles in Apopka, Florida

Why Wayne was nominated: “Wayne was one of my students in 2013 and showed himself to be an EXTREMELY driven and passionate young man who’s love for motorcycles and desire to spend his life working on them far exceeded a want. To him it was a need that you could see each and every time you interacted with him every day. Wayne put forth more effort than any other student I have had the privilege to train over the course of my 9 years of instructing. He is a veteran of our US military and NEVER lets anything defeat him! He does whatever is necessary to overcome obstacles – from long nights of studying to many, many days spent after class tutoring with myself and other instructors. His determination and heart is inspirational, to put it lightly.”

To learn more about the 2018 Techs Rock Awards, please visit: www.TechForceFoundation.org/TechsRock

About TechForce Foundation

TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional technicians. TechForce awards more than $2.0 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and spearheads FutureTech Success^®, the industry-wide initiative to encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit techforce.org. 

Media Contact:
Jennifer Maher, Executive Director
TechForce Foundation
623-445-0933 direct
602-550-0371 cell
jmaher@techforce.org

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TechForce Report Reveals Shortage of Vehicle Technicians Continues to Worsen

Overall Gap in Supply and Demand of New Entrant Transportation Technicians Continues to Grow Despite Slight Uptick in Diesel Certifications

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — December 19, 2018 — TechForce Foundation® has released a Transportation Technician Supply & Demand Report updating its “Transportation Technician Supply” and “Transportation Technician Demand” reports for 2018, that reveals the transportation technician shortage continues to worsen.

The Technician Supply & Demand Report supplements the previous reports, adjusting prior projections to reflect newly published research from the National Center for Education Statistics and TechForce’s own analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Citing both increasing demand for professional techs and a declining supply of new techs entering the industry, the update concludes that the technician shortage is increasing in severity despite industry efforts to organize around the issue and a slight uptick in new post-secondary degrees and certificates for future diesel technicians.

“The technician shortage is not a new problem,” said TechForce Director of National Initiatives Greg Settle, who co-authored the report with Doug Young, Managing Director of Wilcap LLC. “However, close monitoring of actual industry demand, as well as available supply, is critical to better understanding exactly what we are up against.”

The original Technician Demand and Technician Supply reports, published in 2017 and 2018 respectively, found that the estimated demand for “new entrant” vehicle technicians was more than triple previous estimates, and that postsecondary supply of new entrant vehicle technicians has not kept up with the spike in demand. The Technician Supply & Demand Report update shows that these trends have continued, further increasing the scope and impact of the technician shortage.

“While the shortage continues to worsen, the good news is the transportation industry is organizing to do something about it,” said Jennifer Maher, TechForce CEO. “TechForce Foundation’s FutureTech Success® campaign is leveraging the industry’s collective voice to inspire the next generation of technicians and address the root causes of the shortage.”

You can request the Technician Supply & Demand Report along with the original Technician Demand and Supply Reports here. You can also learn more about TechForce’s FutureTech Success campaign at futuretechsuccess.org.

About TechForce Foundation

TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional transportation technicians. The Foundation distributes more than $2.0 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and is spearheading FutureTech Success®, the industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.techforce.org.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Maher, Executive Director
TechForce Foundation
623-445-0933 direct
602-550-0371 cell
jmaher@techforce.org

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Penske Truck Leasing Investing in Next Generation Maintenance Workforce by

Joining TechForce Foundation’s FutureTech Success^® Campaign

READING, Pa., Nov. 27, 2018 – Penske Truck Leasing is joining the TechForce Foundation’s efforts to recruit the next generation of truck fleet maintenance technicians by serving as an early adopter in the foundation’s FutureTech Success campaign.

The TechForce Foundation works to raise awareness with school-age students about great career opportunities as professional technicians. The FutureTech Success campaign aims to raise awareness by rolling out a national multiyear, multimedia campaign in the United States.

With a North America truck fleet of over 298,000 vehicles, and an industry-leading truck maintenance workforce of approximately 8,000 people, Penske Truck Leasing is working with TechForce Foundation to help address an industrywide employment shortage of truck maintenance technicians.

TechForce’s recent assessment shows the trucking industry needs nearly 300,000 new technicians over the next 10 years to meet demand.

“We’re at the forefront of an exciting time in our industry, as a new era of connected, autonomous, shared, and electric vehicles will evolve the already highly-advanced, traditionally-powered vehicles on the road today,” said Gregg Mangione, senior vice president of maintenance at Penske Truck Leasing. “We’re investing in TechForce to help cultivate and build a pipeline of the next generation of truck fleet maintenance technicians to meet our needs today and well into the future.”

In addition to its financial contribution, Penske Truck Leasing will take part in campaign marketing materials and advertising campaigns, while also sharing campaign content on Penske social media channels. Penske will also sit on the campaign’s National Leadership Cabinet; participate in the FutureTech video series titled: “When Techs Rock, America Rolls” to highlight Penske’s best practices; and join the foundation in speaking events at schools nationwide.

“It is important that parents and educators are informed about the great careers available in transportation, since they often influence the post-secondary choices of young people,” says Jennifer Maher, executive director at TechForce Foundation. “We are excited about Penske Truck Leasing joining our early adopters, especially because of their ability to provide additional perspective on the opportunities for truck fleet maintenance technicians.”

TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional auto, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle, motorsports, watercraft, welding and aviation technicians. The Foundation distributes more than $2.0 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and is spearheading FutureTech Success®, the industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.techforce.org.

Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P., headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania, is a partnership of Penske Corporation, Penske Automotive Group and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. A leading global transportation services provider, Penske operates more than 298,000 vehicles and serves customers from more than 1,000 locations in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, contract maintenance, commercial and consumer truck rentals, used truck sales, transportation and warehousing management and supply chain management solutions. Visit GoPenske.com to learn more.

Contacts:

Penske Truck Leasing: Alen Beljin 610-775-6364 alen.beljin@penske.com

TechForce Foundation: Benjamin Peoples 623-445-9422 bpeoples@techforce.org

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TechForce Foundation^® names Tina Smith as its Director of National Partnership

Scottsdale, AZ — October 08, 2018 — TechForce Foundation has named Tina Smith as its Director of National Partnership, responsible for developing corporate partnerships throughout the transportation industry (including automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle, marine, motorsports, aviation, aftermarket and restoration segments) that aim to solve the tech shortage and fuel the pipeline of tomorrow’s workforce of qualified technicians.

TechForce, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians, recently launched its industry-wide initiative, FutureTech Success^®. The campaign harnesses the resources of the industry to raise the bar for future techs in communities across the country. For example, donated training aids and employee volunteers will be put into practice to enhance local high school shop classes and afterschool programs; national marketing will tell the story of the ‘new collar’ career and negate the outdated, grease-monkey image; and one-stop-shop resource hubs for future techs, parents, educators and industry to readily find the tools required to help students pursue the pathway.

Smith will drive the effort to identify new corporate partners willing to sponsor the FutureTech Success campaign or to donate to TechForce Foundation’s scholarship and grant program, including its Veterans at Work: Military Transition Campaign, its Accelerate Tuition Scholarships and its Life Happens Emergency Relief funds.

“Who better than Tina to tell the story of our future techs,” explains Jennifer Maher, CEO of TechForce Foundation. “Tina herself pursued a technical education, made possible thanks to a generous scholarship, became a technician, turned wrenches, and knows what it’s like to be a female technician in the industry.” Smith went on to pursue new jobs and opportunities in this vast industry, and is looking forward today to giving back, championing the next generation of youth, and helping the industry she loves prosper in its workforce development efforts. “Tina has the authenticity and passion we sought in someone who can walk the talk of the TechForce story, and help companies realize how they can be part of the solution,” added Maher.

Previously, Smith served as the national sales manager for the traditional U.S. aftermarket with Lumileds, managed its U.S. aftermarket sales program, its sales team and independent sales representative organizations. Prior, Smith worked at NGK Spark Plugs (U.S.A.) Inc. from 2013-’18, starting as the product services manager and advancing to become the groups manager for the North American buying groups. She was responsible for implementing sales and marketing activities within the major automotive aftermarket buying groups.

Before NGK, Smith was the lead engineering technician for 3 years at Gates Corp., where she provided technical leadership and direction within the management and engineering teams. Smith began her automotive career at Yazaki North America and served the company for 9 years as an application engineer and benchmark technician.

Tina Smith holds an associate’s degree in automotive technology from Sinclair Community College, an auto mechanics certificate from D. Russel Lee Vocational School, and is a first year Chrysler Apprenticeship Technician (CAP) graduate. She was an AASA – Emerging Leader Member 2015-‘16 and a member of the Women in Auto Care – Educational Committee 2014-‘17.

About TechForce Foundation

TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional auto, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle, motorsports, watercraft, welding and aviation technicians. The Foundation distributes more than $2.0 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and is spearheading FutureTech Success^®, the industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.techforce.org.

Media Contacts:       Charles Ayers, CCAR
cea@ccar-greenlink.org
847-749-4375

Jennifer Maher, TechForce Foundation
jmaher@techforce.org
623-445-0933

CCAR joins TechForce to inspire the next generation of automotive technicians

Palatine, IL — September 20, 2018 — The Coordinating Committee For Automotive Repair (CCAR) is pleased to announce its support for the nonprofit TechForce Foundation®’s new national initiative, FutureTech Success®, an effort aimed at fueling the pipeline of tomorrow’s workforce of technicians.

FutureTech Success is an industry-wide, multi-faceted initiative to help inspire the next generation of auto, diesel and collision technicians through three strategic components:

• Repositioning the outdated, grease-monkey stigma of the profession. Through storytelling and interactions, convert parents and influencers of 13-18 year olds from naysayers to champions of the profession by delivering the message that being a transportation technician is a successful, in-demand and valued career path;
• Reinvigorating hands-on experiences. Direct funding, resources and employee engagement back into high school auto shops and afterschool programs nationwide, and make tactile challenges available for young men and women to, once again, interact with auto and diesel technology so they may experience the rewards of working and creating with their hands;
• Collective Voice. Harnessing the resources and best practices of the industry, package and present in a way future techs and their parents can find these tools, and working together, as an industry, to deliver a unified public message that America respect and values technicians, and that they’re needed to keep America rolling.

CCAR joins a myriad of other association partners supporting TechForce and its FutureTech Success campaign including, SkillsUSA, Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association (AMRA), Automotive Service Association (ASA), American Trucking Association’s Training Managers Council (TMC), Auto Care Association, Women in Auto Care, American Rental Association (ARA), ASE Training Managers Council (ATMC), and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). Additionally, TechForce’s FutureTech Success campaign enjoys financial support from its ‘early adopter’ corporate supporters, each a visionary in their willingness to invest in building the infrastructure and assets for the initiative. These companies include Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Bridgestone, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Interstate Batteries, Manheim, Mercedes-Benz USA, Nissan North America, Penske Truck Leasing, Shell Lubricants, Snap-on, Toyota USA Foundation, Valvoline, WD-40 and Universal Technical Institute.

“It’s wonderful to have CCAR’s collaboration,” shares Jennifer Maher, Executive Director of TechForce Foundation. “It will take everyone in industry working together to combat the outdated, grease monkey stigma that still derails too many young people from considering the profession. With the rapid advancements in automotive technology, cars are now computers on wheels and require highly trained, skilled technicians. It’s a ‘new collar career’ that has strong demand and very rewarding opportunities.”

In supporting FutureTech Success, CCAR will help distribute public service ads, engage in social media conversations about the opportunities available in the career, identify outstanding technicians and help to tell their stories through video interviews, and assist in uniting the collective voice of its membership around the need and respect for qualified, professional technicians.

CCAR, also a non-profit organization, enjoys a singular focus on the automotive industry and its needs for safety and hazardous material compliance and training. Founded in 1994 with grant funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), CCAR is also one of the original OSHA Alliance partners and is the only OSHA Alliance partner focused on providing safety best practice information to the automotive collision and repair industries. CCAR has twice been recognized by the ASE Training Managers Council (ATMC) with their “National Excellence in Training” award and was chosen by the North American Hazmat Action Committee (NAAHAC) to develop hazardous material handling training courses (i.e. HazmatU).

About TechForce Foundation:
TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians. TechForce awards more than $2 million annually in scholarships and grants to students with financial need, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors. TechForce is also spearheading FutureTech Success®, the industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people in developing their careers as future vehicle technicians.

For more information, visit www.techforce.org or follow us on Facebook @ techforce.org.

About CCAR:
Established in 1994, the Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair is a not-for-profit organization that works – internationally in scope – with the automotive industry, the insurance industry, OEM’s, career and technical schools, collision and automotive repair shops, governments, municipalities and other organizations to provide best practice information and training.

To learn more about CCAR and its programs, please visit http://www.ccar-greenlink.org.

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New Collar Jobs Redefining Labor Day

TechForce Foundation launches – Because I’m a Tech campaign.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – August 27, 2018 — TechForce Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on championing students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional transportation technicians, has launched its Because I’m a Tech campaign (hashtag #becauseimatech) to coincide with Labor Day. The campaign is designed to educate teens and parents that there’s more than one road to success, that a technical education and career is a viable pathway to a rewarding future, and about the attractive opportunities of being a professional technician in America’s robust transportation industry.

Labor Day has long been celebrated as a day dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. However, over the years its true meaning has taken a backseat to rituals of shopping, backyard barbecues, and for many, simply celebrating the end of summer and preparing for a new school year.

While this trend can be seen as symbolic of the distracted times we live in, TechForce sees it as an opportunity to re-engage and re-activate a growing segment of Americans who’ve become weary and afraid of the changing workforce landscape as technologies such as automation and artificial intelligence become more prevalent. Simultaneously, people are seeing the skyrocketing costs of four year universities and financial aid turning higher education into a less viable option for long-term financial success and stability.

Perhaps most concerned about these trends are the segment of 35-50 year old women and men – mothers and fathers who are faced with the challenges of shaping and supporting the career aspirations of their teenage sons and daughters who are on the verge of making decisions that will heavily impact their own social and economic futures.

The Because I’m a Tech campaign is designed to:

• connect students who are hands-on learners and problem-solvers, who love fixing and making things work, who have an affinity for computers, diagnostics and technology to an education and career that fits them;
• teach parents and their teens about the social and economic achievements that can await them by pursuing a technical education and career as a professional, trained technician;
• ease fears and help parents and influencers understand how and why these careers are no longer considered “blue collar,” but rather “new collar”;
• show that technicians are not being replacedby automation and technology, but rather advanced by it;
• let them see firsthand how realpeople are building rich and fulfilling lives BECAUSE THEY ARE TECHS. Videos at futuretechsuccess.org
• demonstrate exactly where and how to start one’s own journey down this promising path by providing an actual “roadmap” to success. Downloadable maps at futuretechsuccess.org/map.

According to Jennifer Maher, CEO/executive director of TechForce, “Today’s techs are well paid, highly skilled, hands-on problem solvers who are not burdened by massive school debt like their four-year school counterparts. As we change the outdated image of this profession, we can get more students interested in becoming technicians.”

The obsolete view of yesterday’s transportation careers had typecast them as low-tech “blue collar” jobs. The reality is the mechanic has been replaced by a highly trained technician, and the profession has evolved to high-tech, “new collar” careers where smart and talented individuals can find economic stability and personal fulfillment.

Well-intended educators and their incentives have done a disservice to our future workforce by positioning a four-year degree as the only road to a successful career (hashtag #morethanone). For some, technical schools are a better path and better aligned with their tactile (hands-on) knack for problem solving. Financial feasibility is also a significant factor in the current environment of skyrocketing college loan debt. Tech school graduates have considerably less educational debt and pay it off faster than their four-year counterparts. Technicians consistently report that they find their work much more fulfilling than they would if they were stuck at a traditional desk job.

High Tech and High Demand

The days of the “grease monkey” are long gone. Today’s vehicles have millions more lines of code than the spaceship that put man on the moon. Transportation techs are computer savvy and in demand. One out of every seven jobs in the U.S. is transportation related and there is a massive shortage of qualified technicians which means hiring demand is sky-high. Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data show the annual demand for new tech graduates is more than double the number that are graduating – essentially more than two new job openings to every one tech graduate.

About TechForce Foundation

TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional auto, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle, motorsports, watercraft, welding and aviation technicians. The Foundation distributes more than $2.0 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and is spearheading FutureTech Success®, the industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.techforce.org.

Photo and infographic preview available here.

Media Contacts

Mike Pressendo, mpressendo@techforce.org, 602-363-8861

Jennifer Maher, Executive Director, jmaher@techforce.org, 602-550-0371

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TechForce Foundation Sponsors $6,000 in Scholarships for Women Entering the Transportation Industry

TechForce Foundation recently sponsored two $3,000 scholarships for young women pursuing careers in the transportation industry. The scholarships were administered by Women in Auto Care, a partner of the Foundation.

Callie discovered automotive two years ago, and in that time, has fallen in love with working under the hood. When Callie first picked up a wrench, she says she had no idea, “that it would change me and my life forever.”

Unlike Callie, Cassie’s passion for engines goes back as far as she can remember. Whether it was a dirt bike, a truck, or even a snowmobile, you could be certain Cassie was either working on the motor herself or watching and learning from her brother. For years, Cassie worked with her brother every weekend to build, repair and race dirt bikes at competitions.

Cassie is enrolled in welding at a college in her home state of Nevada. Her passion for the industry rivals the passion of any artist for their craft. Cassie works to understand metallurgy and strives to become a true master of the trade.

Whatever head start Cassie’s early interest in the trade may have had on Callie’s, the two scholarship winners are on equal footing today.

Callie graduated high school in June and is registered to begin classes in automotive technology in the fall. While only a month out of high school, Callie has already received ASE certification in brakes, steering and suspension, and manual drive-trains and axles.

Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that Callie is president of her local SkillsUSA chapter. She has participated in numerous competitions and is particularly proud of one in which she built and demonstrated her own mock starter circuit.

Similarly, Cassie has been called a “natural,” a “future master technician,” and a “superstar” by shop owners and master mechanics alike. When the motor on Cassie’s car failed, she rebuilt it herself. When reflecting on the challenge she said, “It was a wonderful experience to work on my own engine…It was really cool to take a motor that wasn’t running and get it built, back in the truck, and on the road again.” Cassie expects to complete her welding program this summer and will move on to studying diesel technology at another Nevada school in the fall.

The $3,000 in scholarships both Cassie and Callie received will help them transition into the next stage of their education where they will learn the skills which will place them in an in-demand and rapidly growing industry.

Women are an underrepresented group among auto technicians, and TechForce Foundation is proud to be able to partner with Women in Auto Care to encourage women to pursue the trade. Both Cassie and Callie have what it takes to become top-notch technicians. Congratulations, again, to both scholarship winners.

Women in Auto Care is comprised of auto care professionals dedicated to providing opportunities, education and career leadership to women in the auto care industry, through networking, mentoring, recruitment, recognition, consumer education, and communicating industry information. To learn more about Women in Auto Care, visit WomeninAutoCare.org

TechForce Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to champion students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians. For more about TechForce Foundation and its scholarship programs, visit TechForceFoundation.org/scholarships.