TechForce Peer Network | FutureTechs Rock Awards | Vaughn Gittin Jr Shout Out To TechForce | SkillsUSA Restoring Cars | Reviews About TechForce’s Peer Network| Greg Settle To Retire | Jessi Combs Legacy | NCAT & Wrench Nation Partners With TechForce | FREE Training & eLearning Videos | Garage Guru’s Scholarship | Submit Events In TechForce Peer Network
Join the first ever peer network exclusively for future and working technicians
TechForce Foundation has launched the world’s first and only peer network 100% dedicated to future and working transportation technicians! Join to connect with other students, educators and working techs, compete in daily trivia and other fun challenges, and find events, trainings, scholarships and more. Learn more about TechForce’s peer network today>>
Coming soon: 2021 FutureTechsTM Rock Awards
Our annual competition recognizing outstanding transportation technician students kicks off next week! Over $13,000 in prizes will be awarded to 10 exceptional students in the 2021 FutureTechs Rock Awards. Nominations open April 6. Learn more here>>
Thank you to Shell Pennzoil for lining up shout-out from Vaughn Gittin, Jr.
A special thank you to Shell Pennzoil for helping line up this great introduction to TechForce’s peer network from professional fun-haver Vaughn Gittin, Jr! Watch and share the shout-out here>>
SkillsUSA champion finds rewarding career restoring high-end cars
From a young age, Ben Falconer enjoyed all things automotive. His passion was born while working with his father on small engines in their home garage, and eventually led him to back to back “best in the nation” awards for Automotive Refinishing at the 2015 and 2016 SkillsUSA national competitions. Today you can find him working to restore Ferraris, Maseratis, Alfa Romeos and Porshes. Read Ben’s inspiring story here>>
Hear what people are saying about TechForce’s peer network
Students, instructors and working technicians love TechForce’s peer network. Here’s what some had to say:
“It’s a great way to connect students with the industry…” “Engaging, interactive and a great learning resource all in one…” “Really like the gamification…” “Gave you information you didn’t know you needed…”
Longtime TechForce staff member and visionary Greg Settle to retire
Long-time TechForce staff member Greg Settle will officially retire on March 31, 2021. Greg joined TechForce in 2014, helping to expand our mission to tackle the technician shortage by co-founding the FutureTech Success initiative and serving as much of the brains behind the new TechForce’s peer network. Hats off and our deepest thanks to Greg and all his years of service to TechForce.
How Jessi Combs’s legacy is still inspiring women to take up automotive trades
Jessi Combs made a career of breaking barriers in automotive trades and empowering other women to do the same. Although the world lost Jessi Combs in 2019, the women she inspired are carrying her legacy forward. Join us in celebrating Women’s History Month by learning more about the women technicians breaking the garage’s glass ceiling>>
TechForce welcomes Wrench Nation as a Media Partner
TechForce welcomes Wrench Nation Car Talk Radio Show and Podcast as a Media Partner in the campaign to build the next generation of transportation technicians. Learn more about Wrench Nation here>>
TechForce welcomes NCAT as an Association Partner
TechForce Foundation welcomes the National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT) as an Association Partner in the workforce development campaign! Learn more about NCAT here>>
Discover free training, e-learning and more to jump start your technician career
Level up your skills with training from transportation industry leaders. Join TechForce’s peer network to access simulations and short, easy to digest tutorials to help you stay on top of advancing vehicle technology. Log in or create your profile and select “Training” to get started>>
Closing 4/15 – Diesel technician scholarships from American Trucking Associations
ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) and the Professional Technician Development Committee (PTDC) are proud to offer many scholarships to support future fleet maintenance technicians and supervisors. Click here to learn more and apply>>
Closing 4/30 – Garage Gurus’ scholarship for high school and post-secondary students
Garage Gurus’ annual scholarship is accepting applications now through April 30, 2021. The scholarship is open to high school and post-secondary students pursuing an automotive technician education. Twelve students will be awarded up to $2,500 each to help support their educational expenses! Learn more and apply here>>
Find and submit events through TechForce’s peer network
Join TechForce’s peer network to discover upcoming webinars, races, conferences and more transportation related events. You can even help other members discover great events by submitting them to the TechForce! Log in or create your profile at JoinTechForce.org and select “Events” from the main menu to get started>>
Thank you to all TechForce Foundation partners!
Associations: Automotive Communications Council, Automotive Maintenance & Repair Association (AMRA), American Rental Association (ARA), Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Automotive Service Association (ASA), Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), ASE Education Foundation, ASE Training Managers Council (ATMC), Auto Care Association/Women in Auto Care, Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT), Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement (CADIA), Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair (CCAR), Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), Minnesota State Transportation Center of Excellence, National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada (NAACC), National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF), National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3), National Center for Autonomous Technology (NCAT), SkillsUSA and American Trucking Association’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC)
Celebrities: Lyn St. James (IndyCar), Bogi Lateiner (Girl Gang Garage), Steve Johnson (Steve Johnson Racing – NHRA) and Julia Landauer (Julia Landauer Racing – NASCAR)
For more news on TechForce Foundation, follow us on social media at the links below!
TechForce Peer Network Launch | FutureTechs Rock Awards 2021 | Vaughan Gittin Jr. Give Shout-Out To TechForce | TechForce Scholarship | TMC Diesel Scholarship | Reviews About The New TechForce Peer Network | Garage Gurus Scholarship | Submit Events To TechForce Peer Network | Jessi Combs Women’s History Month | FREE Training & e-Learning Via TechForce Peer Network
Join the first ever peer network exclusively for future and working technicians
TechForce Foundation has launched the world’s first and only peer network 100% dedicated to future and working transportation technicians. Learn more about TechForce’s peer network here>>
Coming soon: FutureTechsTM Rock Awards
Our annual competition recognizing outstanding transportation technician students kicks off next week! Nominations for the 2021 FutureTechs Rock Awards open April 6. Learn more>>
Get excited about TechForce with this shout-out from Vaughn Gittin, Jr.
A big thank you to Shell Pennzoil for helping line up this great introduction to TechForce’s peer network from professional fun-haver Vaughn Gittin, Jr! Watch and share the shoutout here>>
Resource Spotlight
TechForce’s peer network is the place to jumpstart your technician career!
Connect with other students, educators and working techs, compete in daily trivia and other fun challenges, and find events, trainings, scholarships and more!
Another path to easily apply for TechForce scholarships
You can now apply for TechForce scholarships through our peer network! We’ve updated our system, and if you have previously applied you may need to reset your password and supply some additional info. To get started simply log in or create your profile at JoinTechForce.org and select “Scholarships.” Start your application>>
Scholarship closing 4/15 – Diesel scholarships from ATA
ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) and the Professional Technician Development Committee (PTDC) are proud to offer many scholarships to support future fleet maintenance technicians and supervisors. Click here to learn more and apply>>
Hear what people are saying about TechForce’s peer network
Students, instructors and working technicians love TechForce’s online peer network.
Here’s what some had to say: “It’s a great way to connect students with the industry…” “Engaging, interactive and a great learning resource all in one…” “Really like the gamification…” “Gave you information you didn’t know you needed…”
Garage Gurus’ annual scholarship is accepting applications now through April 30, 2021. The scholarship is open to high school and post-secondary students pursuing an automotive technician education. Twelve students will be awarded up to $2,500 each to help support their educational expenses! Learn more and apply here>>
Find and submit events through TechForce’s peer network
Join TechForce’s peer network to discover upcoming webinars, races, conferences and more. You can even help other members discover great events by submitting them to the TechForce! Log in or create your profile at JoinTechForce.org and select “Events” from the main menu to get started>>
How Jessi Combs’s legacy continues to inspire women to take up automotive trades
Jessi Combs made a career of breaking barriers in automotive trades and empowering other women to do the same. Although the world lost Jessi Combs in 2019, the women she inspired are carrying her legacy forward. Join us in celebrating Women’s History Month by learning more about the women technicians breaking the garage’s glass ceiling>>
Discover free training, e-learning and more to jump start your technician career
Level up your skills with training from transportation industry leaders. Join TechForce’s peer network to access simulations and short, easy to digest tutorials to help you stay on top of advancing vehicle technology. Log in or create your profile and select “Training” to discover ways to learn>>
Thank you to all TechForce Foundation partners!
Associations: Automotive Communications Council, Automotive Maintenance & Repair Association (AMRA), American Rental Association (ARA), Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Automotive Service Association (ASA), Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), ASE Education Foundation, ASE Training Managers Council (ATMC), Auto Care Association/Women in Auto Care, Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT), Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement (CADIA), Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair (CCAR), Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), Minnesota State Transportation Center of Excellence, National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada (NAACC), National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF), National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3), National Center for Autonomous Technology (NCAT), SkillsUSA and American Trucking Association’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC)
Celebrities: Lyn St. James (IndyCar), Bogi Lateiner (Girl Gang Garage), Steve Johnson (Steve Johnson Racing – NHRA) and Julia Landauer (Julia Landauer Racing – NASCAR)
For more news on TechForce Foundation, follow us on social media at the links below!
We thought you and your audiences might be interested in the first peer network for future and working transportation technicians.
TechForce introduces the first peer network dedicated to advancing the careers of future and working transportation techs
JoinTechForce.org is free and designed to help solve the tech shortage
March 24, 2021 — SCOTTSDALE, AZ — TechForce Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has introduced a free platform dedicated to launching and advancing the careers of next generation technicians – JoinTechForce.org.
As the largest provider of scholarships for post-secondary tech training (more than $1.5 million annually), TechForce has been dedicated to solving the transportation technician shortage by helping students to and through careers as transportation techs since 2005.
“Next-gen techs are digital-native, yet there was no commercial-free digital environment for them to connect with peers, showcase their talents, check out employers and compete for points, status and prizes,” according to TechForce CEO, Jennifer Maher. “This is the first and only peer network of its kind. It is full of engaging content and designed as the place for aspiring and working techs to explore and advance their careers. With the support of our many partners, TechForce developed this peer network to meet this need. JoinTechForce.org is full of dynamic content that is refreshed daily. Designed by GenZers for GenZ, it is gamified to keep it fun and tap the competitive nature techs are famous for.”
– follow industry trends and connect with peers and employers
– compete and climb the leaderboard in daily trivia and other competitions
– earn prizes from industry partners
– learn about events, win free tickets, and see what’s going on in the area
– apply for more than $1.5 million in scholarships awarded annually
– access free videos and informative content to explore interests
Maher continued, “Because TechForce works with many leading companies, educational institutions and associations, our neutrality helps us accomplish things together that would be nearly impossible to tackle independently. Our partners share our dedication to placing the students and professionals first and insisted that our network not be an advertising platform. This enables us to provide fun, engaging and rewarding experiences that keep people coming back for more. Thanks to our generous supporters, we have been able to make valuable educational content free to our network. Much of the educational content within the site is fee-based outside of our network.”
Although the network is designed primarily for future and working techs, it is also popular with instructors, industry professionals, hobbyists and enthusiasts.
– “I can’t believe there is a place just for people like me.” – Chris, post-secondary student
– “I like being able to communicate within a specified community/group of people with mostly the same interests.” – Jose, CTE student
– “I would totally recommend this site to my friends.” (Average student rating on a scale of 1-10 was 9.2)
– “I liked the trivia and challenges. They challenged my knowledge and I learned some new stuff too.” – John, high school student
– “One stop shop – It’s great that you have other career information, students, colleges, industry experts, instructors all right there in the system. That is so helpful for a student who is specifically interested in exploring these types of careers. You can get lost on the internet and a lot of the information can be outdated. This is such a great tool!” – Lisa, CTE instructor
– “It’s a great way to connect students with the industry and almost serve as a Linkedin type of platform. We enjoyed the trivia and training opportunities as well.” – Jay, high school instructor
– “I especially liked how it explained what the correct answer was immediately and the system has other ways you can earn points and engage. Engaging, interactive and a great learning resource all in one.” – L. Kennedy, high school instructor
– “TechForce made it so engaging that our students (and instructors) enjoy coming back frequently.” – Bob, post-secondary administrator
– “As an industry professional, I am blown away, there is nothing like this out there. Informative, engaging, and fun. – Tony, OEM executive
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 $1.5 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and spearheads an industry-wide workforce development initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.TechForce.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Supporters that have helped bring this network to fruition include:
New Ford Tech, AutoZone, WD-40, General Motors, Advance Auto Parts, Shell-Pennzoil, Snap-on, Universal Technical Institute, Penske Truck Leasing, Daimler Trucks North America, Toyota USA Foundation, Carmax, Volvo, Cengage Learning, CRC Industries, FedEx Freight, SunState Equipment Co., Autoshop Solutions, 10 Missions Media, Babcox Media, Endeavor Business Media, Wrench Nation, Cars Yeah, American Rental Assoc., American Trucking Assoc. – Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), ASE, ASE Education Foundation, ASE Training Managers Council (ATMC), Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Auto Care Assoc., Automotive Communications Council, Automotive Maintenance and Repair Assoc., Automotive Service Assoc., Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT), Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), Coordinating Committee for Auto Repair (CCAR), Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, Minn. State Transportation Center of Excellence, Ntl. Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF), National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3), Ntl. Center for Autonomous Technology (NCAT), SkillsUSA, Ntl. Assoc. of Automobile Clubs of Canada, Women in Auto Care.
Read Premier Financial Services, LLC’s interview with TechForce Foundation CEO & Executive Director Jennifer Maher in their Residual Values newsletter. Learn more about TechForce Foundation, the ongoing transportation technician shortage and Jennifer’s own experience as a woman in the transportation industry.
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"By connecting students, instructors, industry pros and working techs, the TechForce Foundation provides unilateral support to the transportation industry’s technician recruiting needs… The administration of our Scholarships by the TechForce team has been instrumental in delivering us with a successful method to gain interest from qualified candidates as well as provide our students with additional assistance to complete their education."
