Rad Dan Burkett, TechForce & GEARWRENCH Award $10,000 in Tools to Instructors

Instructors take home $10,000 in GEARWRENCH tools with TechForce

Rad Dan Burkett, TechForce and GEARWRENCH teamed up to award 5 instructors with $2,000 in tools each! A big congratulations to the instructors:

  • Mike McCord, TCAT-Jackson Whiteville Branch
  • Tom O’Neil, UTI-Bloomfield
  • Chris McDonald, Delgado Community College
  • Drew Goddard, Hennepin Technical College
  • Keith Benson, Petaluma High School

If you haven’t joined TechForce yet, what are you waiting for? Participate in our next giveaway with a free TechForce account. Log in or Sign up today!

 

 

TechForce Invites Public to Celebrate Student Technicians by Voting for FutureTechs Rock Awards Grand Prize Winner

TechForce Invites Public to Celebrate Student Technicians by Voting for FutureTechs Rock Awards Grand Prize Winner

Ten Category Winners announced, $20,000 to be Awarded. Vote Feb 27 - Mar 3 for a student technician to take home FutureTechs Rock Grand Prize

February 27, 2023 – PHOENIX – The Grand Prize public vote in TechForce Foundation’s 5th annual FutureTechs Rock Awards is now open. TechForce created this prestigious award to honor aspiring technicians and recognize students with a promising future in the transportation industry. Grand Prize voting is open for one week, from Monday, February 27 to Friday, March 3. Meet the 10 Category Winners and vote to choose the nation’s top tech student at TechForce.org/Vote.

Industry expert judges selected ten Category Winners from hundreds of High School and Post-Secondary nominations, representing 182 campuses across 38 states. Each category winner has been awarded over $1,500 in prizes.

The Grand Prize Winner, chosen from the Category Winners by public vote, will receive an additional $5,000+ in scholarships and prizes from TechForce and sponsors including Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Cengage Learning, CRC Industries, Mighty Auto Parts, New Ford Tech, Nissan, Snap-on Industrial, Volvo and WD-40 Company.

With the 5th annual FutureTechs Rock Awards, TechForce and its partners have awarded 50 transportation technician students with over $67,000 in prizes since 2019. The Awards are made possible because of generous donations from people and companies that believe everyone should have a chance to succeed.

The ten Category Winners represent seven states and ten schools, with each being recognized in a distinct technical education discipline:

  • Automotive – Abbie Vetse, Hennepin Technical College, Maple Grove, MN
  • Aviation – Teresa Sacca, Antelope Valley College, Lancaster, CA
  • Collision Repair – Taeler Coverdale, Universal Technical Institute, Houston, TX
  • Diesel Off-Road – Nicholas Isaly, Lenawee ISD TECH Center, Adrian, MI
  • Diesel On-Road – Andrew Younkin, Western Technical College, El Paso, TX
  • Marine and Watercraft – Benjamin Pooler, Portland Arts & Technology High School, Buxton, ME
  • Motorcycle and ATV – Everrett Novak, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Phoenix, AZ
  • Motorsports – Benjamin Delauter, NASCAR Technical Institute, Mooresville, NC
  • Restoration – Tyler Renken, Central Carolina Community College, Bunnlevel, NC
  • Welding and CNC – Connor Essary, St. Clair TEC, St. Clair, MI

The FutureTechs Rock Awards are part of TechForce’s workforce development campaign to inspire and support tomorrow’s workforce of technicians. TechForce also created the first and only social network designed and gamified for professional technicians and tech students to connect with each other, employers and schools (TechForce.org). The transportation community is supporting it with content and using it to learn, connect, find events, and explore job opportunities while competing for prizes and leaderboard status.

About TechForce Foundation
TechForce Foundation is a national nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion all students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians. TechForce powers the technician workforce by awarding more than $1.5 million in scholarships and grants annually to financially-disadvantaged students; changes perceptions towards this evolving, ‘new collar’ STEM career; and provides local career exploration and workforce development programming. TechForce’s online, social network of students, working technicians, instructors, employers, industry professionals and enthusiasts committed to championing the technician workforce is the conduit through which the charity delivers its free resources, programs and career hub for the benefit of aspiring technicians. For more information, visit techforce.org. Follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

 

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Gideon Pursues American Dream with TechForce Scholarship

Gideon's Passion for Automotive: Made Possible by Hard Work and Powered by a TechForce Foundation Scholarship

by TechForce Staff

Meet Gideon, a TechForce scholarship recipient originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who is now studying to become an automotive technician in the United States.

Our staff had an opportunity to hear from Gideon on how his family created the opportunity for him to pursue his education in the US, and his plans for a career in the future of mobility.

Portrait of Gideon smiling into the camera and wearing semi-formal clothes.

Developing a Passion for Automotive

Gideon’s determination to achieve his goals is clear. “My dream career is to become an automotive inventor. I want to start my own business one day and build future cars.”

However, he faced an all too relatable challenge early in his educational career. “I struggled to find something that I was passionate about as a kid. Now I found the automotive industry and it’s the number one motivation I have for my life.”

Thanks to his education in the United States Gideon was able to discover and pursue his passion for automotive. Without his family’s hard work and perseverance in moving to the US, Gideon says, he would not have had the same opportunities.

Failure is Not an Option

“Life was really hard, especially for my mother. In the Congo, everyone is expected to pay for school from kindergarten through college. Most people don’t have the money, so they either had to be taught at home or not at all, creating a cycle of poverty and lack of opportunity,” Gideon explained. “This is why we came to the US for better education and more opportunities.”

Adjusting to life in the US was of course a challenge, but as he puts it, “I do not consider failure an option.”

His hard work is paying off – Gideon is thriving! “I’ve taken 14 classes at UTI and managed to stay above a 3.5 GPA while working at Firestone to gain experience. I’ve learned so many things, like basic maintenance, suspension, alignments, electrical diagnostics, and more.”

TechForce Scholarships Create Space to Become "Best of the Best"

Gideon is thrilled and honored to have received TechForce Foundation’s Ford FACT Pedal to the Metal MSAT Tuition Scholarship. The scholarship is one of many funded by Ford Motor Company and awarded by TechForce throughout the year to help students cover the cost of their advanced Ford-specific technician training courses.

Gideon is looking forward to continuing to further his education, and can’t wait for his automotive career to officially begin.

In his own words, “For me, this is only the beginning of something big and I am really ambitious about it. After I graduate from UTI I will strive to be the best of the best. Then I will work my way up to start my own network for inventing unique transportation vehicles.”

About TechForce Scholarships

A TechForce scholarship (or cash grant) is a financial award to aid students in paying for the cost of their technical education. It does not require repayment. TechForce scholarships are privately funded by our partners, meaning the funds come from corporate and individual donors – not the government. It’s expected our scholarships are added to any other financial support you receive.

TechForce Foundation awards over $1.5 Million annually to students in transportation technician programs around the country. Eligible technician programs include automotive, aviation, collision repair, diesel on- & off-road, motorcycle, marine & watercraft, restoration, welding, CNC and more!

Find a scholarship and apply today at TechForce.org/Scholarships

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TechForce Welcomes New Board Members and Officers

TechForce Foundation® Welcomes New Board Members and Officers

 

TechForce expands its impact on students’ technical education and career success with added collision repair, reconditioning, automotive service, fleet maintenance and business development expertise.

 

February 14, 2023 – PHOENIX – TechForce Foundation®, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion all students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians, welcomes new officers to its Board of Directors for 2023 including Jon Vesely Vice Chair; Paul Halsch, Treasurer; David Ellis, Secretary; and Jennifer Maher as Ex-Officio Member. Angie Babin is returning as Chair/President.

“Our new officers and board members bring a tremendous passion for our charitable mission along with a wide range of industry and philanthropic experience. Together we are working to raise more resources to help even more students experience the joy and fulfillment of tech careers,” says Jennifer Maher, TechForce Foundation Executive Director. “The reward our board, volunteers and staff get is immeasurable when hearing from our students what a difference TechForce makes in helping them fulfill their dreams. We are truly changing lives and communities.”

Paul Halsch, Mary Mahoney and Jon Vesely joined TechForce’s national Board of Directors in the Fall of 2022. Each of them bring industry and nonprofit expertise which helps further strengthen TechForce’s ability to achieve its mission.

  • Paul Halsch brings 30+ years experience as an executive with collision repair and automotive service brands including FinishMaster, Pep Boys, and more. In his most recent position Paul served as VP of Reconditioning for Cox Automotive.
  • Mary Mahoney, VP of Replacement and Leisure Division at Enterprise Holdings, provides leadership and guidance for Enterprise’s largest global accounts and is responsible for client and industry relations in the insurance, collision, dealer, OEM, and leisure/affinity segments. She has taken on many leadership positions in her decades-long Enterprise career, including spearheading the industry wide Collision Engineering initiative.
  • Jon Vesely brings a passion for community service and over 30 years experience in senior leadership positions developing and leading growth-oriented strategies in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. He is the Chair of the Board of several companies, an active business investor, and head of his family foundation.

More information including roles and photographs for TechForce Foundation’s full 13-member Board of Directors can be found at techforce.org/about-us/#board-of-directors

About TechForce Foundation

TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion all students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians. TechForce powers the technician workforce by awarding more than $1.5 million in scholarships and grants annually to financially-disadvantaged students; changes perceptions towards this evolving, ‘new collar’ STEM career; and provides local career exploration and workforce development programming. TechForce’s online, social network of students, working technicians, instructors, employers, industry professionals and enthusiasts committed to championing the technician workforce is the conduit through which the charity delivers its free resources, programs and career hub for the benefit of aspiring technicians. For more information, visit techforce.org. Follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

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The 1st Humble Mechanic Scholarship

I'Rule Faison Receives 1st Scholarship From The Humble Mechanic

I’Rule says, “I am passionate about pursuing a technical education simply because I have always loved cars, solving problems and bringing things I think about into reality. My grandfather used to drag race cars and would tell me stories about all the cars he had beaten in his 1971 Ford Torino Cobra. Over time I got more interested in how cars worked. I ultimately decided I would get an automotive technical degree so that I could have the knowledge to fix cars to help people, or even to do amazing alterations to cars. I have a fascinating imagination when it comes to cars and I’ve always wanted the ability to turn my imagination into a reality. My dream career is to bring not only my own, but also other people’s imaginations to a reality when it comes to cars. I want to be able to turn a naturally aspirated engine/vehicle into a turbocharged engine/vehicle and change an economy vehicle into a racing car.”

I’Rule has enjoyed beginning to work on cars. He says, “The first oil change that I performed on my own car was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Though it was an older Honda Civic, I had never done an oil change before and had never touched a vehicle before. I wanted to save money by not going to a dealership but also gather my own experience as well. After I gathered the parts that I needed, I prepared my jack and two jack stands for a simple oil change. But I realized after I drained the oil from the oil pan, “What am I going to take the filter off with?” Thinking on my toes, I remembered that my mother had some channel lock pliers sitting in our laundry room. I ran in the house to get the channel lock pliers and tried to get a good grip on the oil filter. Unfortunately, the angle that I was grasping the filter made it hard to twist but I continued on for what seemed like hours slowly twisting the filter off until finally it came off. I was ecstatic as I replaced the old filter with a brand-new filter. After putting oil in my car, I felt so accomplished knowing that I performed my first oil change without any experience and lacking the proper tools.” 

He has continued working on cars, now in his place of employment. “After I moved to North Carolina to attend NASCAR Technical Institute, I immediately got a job at a Toyota dealership. I learned the ropes of doing oil changes and tire rotations. I also learned how to get settled in a bustling and loud work environment and get work done efficiently as well. I am currently working at an Infiniti dealership where I have learned mounting and balancing of tires, alignments, brake jobs, working on used cars for people to buy by determining the problems they had when they arrived and fixing them.”

Especially as a fan of the Humble Mechanic, I’Rule was excited to learn that he was awarded the Humble Mechanic Scholarship. He is so thankful for this financial assistance, so he can more fully focus on his education and future career goals.

Please share your contact details and a TechForce team member will contact you.


"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."
Tony Farr
Ford Technical Programs Manager