Spark News | January 2020
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TechForce hosted a special Women Techs Rock edition of our “Pit Crew Challenge” at the 5th Annual Future Car Collector Show, presented by TechForce Foundation’s newest partner ClassicCars.com.
TechForce Assessment Connects Students with Tech Education & Careers
NEWS RELEASE
TechForce Foundation Launches “Be A Pathfinder” Campaign to Connect Students with Hands-On Transportation Technician Education & Careers
What’s Your Path? Finding a Career that Fits Your Learning Style
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Jan. 21, 2019 — Across the country, students and their families are looking forward to what the new year may have in store. One nonprofit, TechForce Foundation, is working to help many of them discover a path they might not have considered: a career working as a transportation technician.
There is a massive workforce shortage in the transportation industry, and thousands of students across the country are looking for an education and career path that suits their strengths. TechForce Foundation’s mission is to help students and parents recognize that a career as a technician is a valid and achievable alternative to a four-year college degree — or no degree at all.
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, TechForce Foundation is launching the “Be a Pathfinder” campaign to highlight education and career opportunities for students who have a natural talent for working with their hands. The “Be a Pathfinder” resources let students and their parents identify their learning styles through a quiz, and receive a free report with tailor-made tips for career and education success. If students take the learning style quiz during the campaign (Jan. 21 – Jan. 31), they will also be entered to win a TechForce Foundation gift package, including a $50 Shell gift card and other prizes.
“The learning style quiz and personalized resources not only help students and parents recognize the opportunities of a career as a transportation technician, but also help them understand how and why they’re a fit for these careers,” TechForce Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Maher said.
The campaign encourages students to be “pathfinders” by understanding their unique strengths and using that knowledge to find the best education and career path. TechForce Foundation is also encouraging parents, teachers, and other influential figures in teens’ lives to embrace and support technical and hands-on career paths that may be a good fit for those students.
Studies indicate that the U.S. will need 1.2 million new technicians to join the workforce within the next 10 years. That translates to about 120,000 new jobs per year available to aspiring automotive, diesel, motorcycle, and other transportation professionals.
“Though there are many viable, high-paying job opportunities in STEM-related careers like those in the transportation technician field, students have been told a traditional four-year degree is the only path to success,” said Maher. “The truth is that we’re all wired differently, and hands-on learners can thrive in these positions.”
Students and their parents can take the quiz by visiting TechForce.org/MyPath. The campaign will run Jan. 21 through Jan. 31, with various videos, stories, and resources available on TechForce Foundation’s website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Take the “Be A Pathfinder” Learning Style Quiz:
Watch the “Be a Pathfinder” Video:
techforcefoundation-1.wistia.com/medias/bkva04buiu
Join the “Be A Pathfinder” Conversation:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/techforcefoundation/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techforcefound
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techforcefoundation/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/techforce-foundation
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. It also spearheads an industry-wide initiative to encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.techforce.org.
Media Contacts:
Mike Pressendo, mpressendo@techforce.org, 602-363-8861
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RPM Foundation to honor Indy Car racer Lyn St. James at joint reception with TechForce Foundation
NEWS RELEASE
RPM Foundation to Honor
Indy Car Racer Lyn St. James with
2019 Mentor of the Year Award
CHICAGO, Ill. — January 15, 2020 — Former Indy Car racer Lyn St. James will be honored on January 18, 2020 with the third annual RPM Foundation Mentor of the Year award, during a joint celebration with TechForce Foundation.
RPM – a part of America’s Automotive Trust – is a national non-profit organization that seeks to identify and support the interests and training of those who have a passion for the restoration of classic automobiles. Through the organization’s guidance and network of educational and industry partnerships, young people with such interests are directed toward formal training and mentorships that will propel them to rewarding careers in the collector car world.
A long-time RPM ambassador and mentor, St. James is being honored as an individual who exemplifies the ideals of the organization by providing advice and encouragement to young enthusiasts. Among her many professional accomplishments, St. James has 11 CART and five Indy Racing League starts to her name and is one of only nine women who have qualified for the Indianapolis 500. She was also the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award and was named by Sports Illustrated as one of its “Top 100 Women Athletes of the Century.”
“Lyn epitomizes what RPM and America’s Automotive Trust are all about,” said CEO Jennifer Maher. “Her dedication to our mission of preserving America’s car culture really resounds with the young people she mentors, and her enthusiasm has an indelible effect on those she works with. She’s an incredible inspiration – especially to young women in what has traditionally been a male-dominated profession – and we couldn’t be more proud to have her on our team.”
Past recipients of the RPM Mentor of the Year award include President and CEO of the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association Tony Parella and NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel.
The award ceremony will take place during a celebration at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona, hosted by America’s Automotive Trust and its partnering organizations, RPM Foundation, TechForce Foundation and LeMay-America’s Car Museum.
About The RPM Foundation (rpm.foundation)
RPM Foundation supports training and supporting the next generation of restoration and preservation craftsmen specializing in automotive, motorcycle and marine. RPM Foundation works to ensure that the critical skills necessary to preserve and restore collector vehicles are not lost by providing scholarships, grants and educational experiences to students and organizations committed to hands-on training of the trades. RPM Foundation is supporting organization of America’s Automotive Trust.
About America’s Automotive Trust (www.aat.org)
America’s Automotive Trust (AAT), headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, is a not-for-profit corporation that seeks to secure America’s automotive heritage and to transfer the skills and knowledge necessary for the future of collector vehicles and the enthusiast community for generations to come. AAT is made up of four founding members: LeMay – America’s Car Museum, the RPM Foundation, Club Auto and the Concours Club.
About TechForce Foundation (www.techforce.org)
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. It also spearheads an industry-wide initiative to encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.techforce.org.
Contact:
AAT/ACM/RPM – Mike Bush (253) 779-8490 mike.bush@aat.org
TechForce – Mike Pressendo (602) 363-8861 mpressendo@techforce.org
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Announcing Winter 2019 Brienne Davis Memorial Scholarship Award Winners
Meet the Fall 2019 recipients of the
Brienne Davis Memorial Scholarship
Scottsdale, Ariz – January 14, 2020 – NASCAR Technical Institute students Genna Dalrymple and Empriss Garrett have been named as the Fall/Winter 2019 recipients of TechForce Foundation’s Brienne Davis Memorial Scholarship. Awarded in memory of NASCAR official Brienne Davis, this $10,000 scholarship supports female students with financial need and a passion for the industry.
About Genna Dalrymple (NASCAR Technical Institute)
Described by a Dean of Students as “remarkable” and possessing great “grace and maturity,” Genna is looking for a career where she can be independent, competent, and professional, and help her family and friends. Combine this with a lifetime of family get-togethers where NASCAR races were “prioritized over homemade mashed potatoes” and it’s not surprising to find her at NASCAR Technical Institute where she’s currently taking Automotive Technology with NASCAR Engines I & II.
In her own words: “I can appreciate the team and effort that it takes to get the car on the track, as well as the individual’s control of the car under such extreme conditions. I also think the history of NASCAR is captivating, how it has evolved to make it what it is today.”
About Empriss Garrett (UTI-Long Beach/ NASCAR Technical Institute)
Like Genna, Empriss, too, comes from a ‘car family’. She says, “My grandfather worked for GM for 25 years, and I remember all the exciting stories my mother told me about him. He modified different cars that he received from the GM factory. I would fantasize about how the cars would run and look. When I was 16 yrs. old and looking for my first car, my mother encouraged me to pick a car that I could modify and race. I thought she was joking, but she wasn’t! She was opening the door to a life-changing moment. I would say that was when I began this love affair with cars.”Having completed her Automotive Technology core program at UTI-Long Beach, Empriss has relocated across the country to complete her training with the NASCAR elective/Pit Crew.
In her own words: “My dream career is to be the top-ranked female race car driver in NASCAR, FORMULA 1 Competitions, and NHRA industry. I’m passionate about cars, which is why I decided to attend UTI. I’ve always planned to attend the NASCAR Program, but after completing all of my classes, I’m for sure that is what I was born to do.”
“My goal is to have my own all-female race team and I want to help develop strong entrepreneurial leaders within the industry. I want to lead by example and show women we can be successful in a male dominated industry. Being that I was the only female in my (core program) graduating class, I’m setting new standards of what women can achieve and we are breaking new grounds every day. If one woman sees my journey and is inspired I feel as though I am fulfilling my personal mission.”
For information on TechForce Foundation’s scholarships, visit techforce.org/scholarships.