June 14, 2019

TechForce to deliver keynotes at Women in Automotive conference

TechForce Foundation and its Partners to Deliver Two Keynote Presentations at Women in Automotive Conference

TechForce Foundation and its partners are scheduled to deliver back to back keynote presentations later this month on the main stage at the Women in Automotive national conference.

The June 25 keynote presentations include a 30 minute panel on “Changing the Culture of our Technician Trade in Automotive” from TechForce Foundation, and FutureTech Success campaign partners Great Dane and Ford Motor Company, as well as a 20 minute “If you can dream it, you can build it” presentation from TechForce Foundation board member Bogi Lateiner, master mechanic and owner of Bogi’s Garage.

For more details on the presentations, read the excerpts from the Women in Automotive conference’s official agenda below. For more information on the event, visit the conference website>>

Keynote Panel: “Changing the Culture of our Technician Trade in Automotive.”

June 25, 2019 1:10 PM

Discuss the technician shortage and the status of the industry and how we can help change the stigmas about the trade to attract more technicians in to the industry. Discuss what is working and TechForce Foundation involvement and what the audience can do to help. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the automotive service Technician industry will face a shortage of 45,000 Technicians per year now through 2026. To fill this gap for Ford dealers, Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD) launched TechDrive in 2018. This program is led by 21 Regional Technical Talent Placement Specialists across the U.S., dedicated to building the relationships between our Ford dealers and their local High School Automotive Programs. This is a dealer centric, grass roots initiative which entails dealer attendance in school advisory boards, student job shadowing, career fairs, parent/student tours of our dealerships, etc. The TechDrive team aims to recruit over 2,000 incremental Ford Service Technicians by 2020.

Panelist: Tina Smith, Director of National Partnerships | TechForce Foundation

Panelist: Susan Dober, Director, Organizational Learning | Great Dane

Panelist: Antonietta Polsinelli, Technical Placement Manager | Ford Motor Company

Keynote: “If you can dream it, you can build it”

June 25, 2019 1:40 PM

When we allow ourselves to dream, and then find the courage to pursue those dreams no matter the risk, the results can often be far greater than we could have ever imagined not only for ourselves, but for the world around us. The Chevy Montage All Female Build was more than just a truck restoration build. It was an exercise in dreaming outrageously, creating a community, and challenging not only ourselves but the status quo. By sharing the inspiration behind the build, the lessons learned throughout the process, and the ripple effect that it continues to create – Bogi will motivate and inspire YOU to take action on your biggest dreams.