CONTACT:
Brandon Eckenrode, Collision Repair Education Foundation Director of Development
(312) 231-0258 Brandon.Eckenrode@ed-foundation.org
TECHFORCE FOUNDATION AND COLLISION REPAIR EDUCATION FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Hoffman Estates, Ill. – May 28, 2019 – TechForce Foundation, in partnership with the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), awarded three collision repair students with scholarships funded through a TechForce Foundation FutureTech Success Grant. Winners were selected from a pool of students who demonstrated a passion for learning and an affinity for the collision repair industry based on their participation in the scholarship’s selection process.
Each winner received $2,000 that can be used to continue their education in the collision repair industry.
This year’s scholarship winners include:
Hanife Manning of Guilford Technical Community College in Greensboro, N.C.
Dylan Miller of City College in Billings, Mont.
Larmar Tillery of Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, N.C.
“The transportation industry needs on average more than 15,000 new collision repair technicians each year, but tech schools are only graduating one third of that number,” says Jennifer Maher, Executive Director, TechForce Foundation. “TechForce Foundation is proud to partner with organizations, including the Collision Repair Education Foundation, to solve this industry-wide challenge. By supporting collision repair students like Hanife, Dylan and Larmar, TechForce and CREF are working together to champion the next generation of transportation technicians and keep America rolling. Congratulations to the scholarship winners!”
Industry members interested in joining the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s supporters, and assisting high school and post-secondary collision school programs and students should contact Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at (312) 231-0258 or Brandon.Eckenrode@ed-foundation.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 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and spearheads 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.
ABOUT THE COLLISION REPAIR EDUCATION FOUNDATION:
The Collision Repair Education Foundation, founded in 1991, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting collision repair educational programs, schools, and students to create qualified, entry-level employees and connect them with an array of career opportunities. For information on how to donate to programs supported by the Education Foundation visit us online at: www.CollisionEducationFoundation.org.
Arkansas Trucking Association announces technician scholarship recipients
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. – The Arkansas Trucking Association is pleased to announce the 2019 recipients of the Carl Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund. High school seniors Ryan McKnight of West Fork High School and Clint VanPoucke of Elkins High School will both receive $7,500 to pursue training for a career in medium/heavy duty truck technology.
“Arkansas relies on the trucking industry as a major employer in the state. One in twelve working Arkansans have a career in our industry. It is vital to the state’s economy that we capture the right talent and make the highly skilled training accessible to trucking’s future technicians,” says Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association. “This year’s scholarship recipients will someday be caring for the machines we share the road with every day, and we wish them well in their education and careers because their success is our safety.”
While at West Fork High School, Ryan McKnight has been a member of the Future Farmers of America and Future Business Leaders of America. He also played football and baseball and was a student officer for SkillsUSA, an organization that improves the quality of future skilled workforce through the development of framework skills that include personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. McKnight also won the 2019 Northwest Arkansas Regional Career and Technical Leadership Award. This fall he plans to attend Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale, Ark.
Elkins High School senior Clint VanPoucke displayed his technical talents at the SkillsUSA competition for diesel technology at the national level. He also worked at Washington Regional Medical Center and plans to begin the medium/heavy duty truck technology program at the Northwest Technical Institute this fall.
“This year’s crop of applicants was outstanding. We had students from across the state with excellent credentials,” says Kenneth Calhoun, founding member of the scholarship committee. “Ultimately the committee had to take on the challenging task of selecting just two winners. Clint and Ryan rose to the top, and when the process was complete, the choice was clear. We are excited at the prospect of having these fine young men join our industry. It will be exciting to
track just how far they go.”
The Arkansas Trucking Association’s Maintenance & Technology Council established the Carl Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund to celebrate Carl Tapp, the council’s first chairman, and his career-long commitment to nurturing new talent in the industry. The Fund is intended to enable and encourage growth in the state’s diesel technician workforce and to help assure that the safest, most knowledgeable and skilled technicians are working on the trucks and trailers on our nation’s roads. Candidates were evaluated based upon their interest and performance in STEM courses, teacher and mentor recommendations and personal interviews with the scholarship committee of industry experts.
This scholarship has been made possible by the vision and investment in the future of trucking in Arkansas by the following companies and individuals: ArcBest Companies, Bruce Purkey, DAVCO Technology, Kenneth Calhoun, Maverick Transportation, McKee Foods Transportation, Pressure Systems International, Summit Truck Group, TechForce Foundation, The Tapp Family, Truck Centers of Arkansas, Truck-Lite Co., and Walt Luethy. Contact Sarah Sheets (sarahsheets@arkansastrucking.com) for more information about the Scholarship Fund.
– ### –
The Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) is a statewide business league comprised of approximately 300 trucking companies and service companies to serve as the political and public relations arm of the trucking industry. The ATA has continuously served the Arkansas trucking industry in this capacity since its incorporation in 1932.
Techforce Foundation Announces 2019 FutureTechs Rock Awards Winners
Ten automotive, diesel, motorcycle and collision repair technician students recognized for outstanding contributions as role models at school and in their communities.
April 17, 2019 – SCOTTSDALE, AZ — TechForce Foundation announces the 2019 FutureTechs Rock Awards Grand Prize Winner is Jonathon Miranda, an automotive student attending Ohio Technical College, a post-secondary technical school in Cleveland, Ohio. To learn more about the 2019 FutureTechs Rock Awards, please visit: www.TechForceFoundation.org/FutureTechsRock. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Throughout his 18-month automotive program, Jonathon has maintained perfect attendance, achieved honor roll six times, and earned all A’s in his associate degree academic classes, which are separate from his technical coursework. Jonathon is a member of his school’s Student Leadership Council, where he serves as a role model and mentor, welcomes new students to campus, and volunteers for on-campus events. He also volunteers as a judge with Hot Rodders of Tomorrow, SEMA, and as lead judge for Piston Power Show’s high school engine building competition.
During the week of April 8 People’s Choice voting period, TechForce followers cast more than 25,000 votes among 10 national finalists who were selected among more than 160 nominees by a panel of judges to represent the different segments of the technician profession: automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle, motorsports, and machining. Jonathon secured the largest number of votes and thus has been named the Grand Prize Winner, earning his choice of a $1,000 TechForce Foundation tuition scholarship to apply towards his post-secondary technician education or a sponsored Snap-on® tool voucher of equal value.
Upon learning he won the national award, Jonathon exclaimed, “This is awesome! Just being nominated means so much to me. Thank you to TechForce Foundation and everyone who voted. This experience encourages me to do my best. It’s a great feeling to know that other people recognize my hard work.”
The FutureTech Rock Awards recognize and celebrate students’ commitment to and passion for the technician profession and the transportation industry. With the U.S. only graduating approximately 57,000 technician students each year while the workforce need is 120,000 new entrant techs per year just to keep up with demand, the technician shortage is real and emphasizes how valuable each one of these students is to our country’s transportation industry.
Nominations were put forth by instructors, school personnel, fellow students to youth program directors, business and community leaders. Nominations were reviewed by a panel of volunteer judges including Julia Landauer, NASCAR driver; Tony Molla, ASA; Brandon Eckenrode, Collision Repair Education Foundation; Larry Cox, Sunstate Equipment; Ken Calhoun, Altec Service Group; and Frank Leutz, Desert Car Care of Chandler and Wrench Nation who then selected ten national finalists, each of whom receives a tool voucher sponsored by Snap-on®, a gift certificate to Cengage’s online educational library sponsored by Cengage Learning, and a Haynes Online Manual sponsored by Haynes North America.
2019 TechForce Foundation FutureTechs Rock Awards winners: Grand Prize/ People’s Choice Winner: Jonathon Miranda – Automotive Student, Ohio Technical College, Cleveland, Ohio
The nine finalists include two automotive high school students: Ryan Adkins, Collins Career Center in Chesapeake, Ohio and Angelle Vanderwarf, Kankakee Area Career Center in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and one post-secondary student, Antonio Yepez Cervantes, Ventura College in Ventura, California. Finalists representing diesel are Liam Thompson, Delgado Community College, New Orleans, Louisiana and high school student, Noah Salo, attending Joliet Public School in Joliet, Montana. Representing welding & machining, the finalist is Felyciti Alvarez, Fallbrook High School, Fallbrook, California, and Aaron Smith who attends Schuylkill Technology Center, Frackville, Pennsylvania won as the motorcycle technician finalist. Representing collision repair are two finalists: high school student Wyatt Mote, Wake Forest High School, Wake Forest, North Carolina and postsecondary student, Riley Prince, who attends Gateway Community College, Phoenix, Arizona. For more information and quotes directly from each finalist, visit, visit www.TechForceFoundation.org/FutureTechsRock.
The FutureTechs Rock Awards are part of TechForce Foundation’s FutureTech Success® initiative to help inspire and support tomorrow’s workforce of technicians. FutureTech Success is sponsored by industry partners, including Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Bridgestone, CarMax, FedEx Freight, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Interstate Batteries, Manheim, Mercedes-Benz USA, Nissan North America, Penske Truck Leasing, Shell Pennzoil, Snap-on, Universal Technical Institute, Valvoline and WD-40.
“Our country relies on the mobility technician students of today who will keep America rolling tomorrow. By engaging in a challenging STEM curriculum, these students are preparing themselves for an in-demand, high-tech and rewarding career. FutureTechs Rock Awards nominees are role models for their fellow students and an inspiration to us all,” shares Jennifer Maher, Executive Director, 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 transportation technicians. The Foundation distributes 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 help encourage and support more young people to pursue the
vehicle technician profession. For more information,
visit www.techforce.org.
HAYNES NORTH AMERICA JOINS FUTURETECH SUCCESS® CAMPAIGN
Worldwide Leader in Vehicle Repair and Maintenance Manuals Announces Support for
Industry-Wide Effort to Fuel the Next Generation of Mobility Technicians
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — April 10, 2019 — Haynes North America, Inc. has committed $50,000 in in-kind support of TechForce Foundation’s FutureTech Success campaign. With this commitment, Haynes has reaffirmed its support for the transportation technicians who keep America rolling, and hope to continue growing the technician career pipeline to meet the nation’s ever-increasing need for professional technicians.
Developed by leading educational nonprofit 501(c)(3) TechForce Foundation, the FutureTech Success campaign is an industry-wide initiative driving tomorrow’s workforce of technicians by inspiring, supporting and connecting middle and high-school students and their influencers with the resources necessary to support their technical education and career development.
“We are very excited to partner with TechForce on this important initiative. With our print and online manuals, as well as our new professional offering AllAccess, we hope to empower and motivate students to jump into an automotive career and continue to work with their hands,” said Reed Trueblood, Director of Marketing at Haynes North America, Inc. “Every manual is written from hands-on experience gained from a complete teardown and rebuild, which is the step-by-step procedure of dismantling and rebuilding a vehicle part-by-part. We hope to use these manuals to educate and spark the interest of future technicians.”
This partnership will help expand the FutureTech Success campaign’s efforts to provide resources and educational materials for aspiring technicians, their parents and educators alike. As the leader in automotive equipment repair, maintenance, and customization manuals, Haynes’s support for the campaign will be a catalyst for TechForce Foundation’s efforts to grow the industry’s talent pipeline by appealing to and reaching future technicians.
“Partnering with a company like Haynes gives students a unique perspective that narrows the focus on the hands-on aspect of the automotive trade,” said Jennifer Maher, CEO and Executive Director of TechForce Foundation. “We are excited to collaborate with Haynes to reframe the stigmas and motivate students to take their tinkering a little further into a career in the transportation industry.”
About Haynes North America, Inc.
Haynes, the world-leading publisher of automotive, motorcycle, marine and tractor repair content, is renowned for teaching millions of owners how to carry out routine maintenance and repairs. For almost 60 years, Haynes has been dismantling vehicles–and putting them back together again. Only in this unique ‘hands on’ way can Haynes provide authoritative and step-by-step information on both basic and complex tasks through print and online products.www.haynes.com.
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.
CarMax Contact:
Reed Trueblood, click to email, 805-262-3354 or 805-794-4776
TechForce Foundation Contact:
Jennifer Maher, click to email, 623-445-0933 or 602-550-0371
FUTURETECH SUCCESS® CAMPAIGN WELCOMES FIRST MARINE SECTOR PARTNER
Read Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) Vice President Liz Walz’s
Letter of support for TechForce Foundation®‘s FutureTech Success campaign below:
March 21, 2019
Dear Friends,
It’s no secret that the marine industry is faced with a severe shortage of qualified workers. In fact, the 517 marine industry businesses, representing more than 1,300 retail locations across North America, that participated in MRAA’s 2016 Workforce Assessment Survey ranked “shortage of skilled labor” the second-highest among issues that negatively impact their business.
More than 20 percent of the positions that marine dealers budgeted to have on their payrolls in 2016 were unfilled, according to the survey results. Looking ahead, 74.8 percent of respondents also suggested they would need to add more staff over the next three years, and on average, these respondents estimated they would need to hire six more positions — 3.5 full-time and 2.6 part-time positions — by 2019.
If you project that out over the 3,100 dealerships across North America, the marine industry could be looking at a shortage today of more than 30,000 employees. And that’s just in the retail sector.
As the North American trade association for marine retailers, MRAA has been hard at work creating workforce solutions to help marine dealers find success, including the launch of a career center, job descriptions, training guides and workforce-related educational resources. In addition, its sibling organization, the MRAA Educational Foundation, offers a number of scholarships to encourage people to pursue careers in marine retailing and once they’ve entered the industry, to successfully develop in their careers.
Where we see an unfilled need, however, is in outreach to, communication with and education of prospective students, their parents and the secondary schools who nurture their development regarding careers in marine retailing.
That’s why we are pleased to share with you our enthusiasm for the TechForce Foundation’s new national initiative, FutureTech Success™, an effort aimed at fueling the pipeline of tomorrow’s workforce of technicians. This is a comprehensive and multi-faceted initiative, but some of the key components include:
• Turning parents and influencers of 13-18 year old’s from naysayers to champions by delivering the message that being a technician is a successful, in-demand and valued career path;
• Making tactile challenges available for young men and women to experience the rewards of working and creating with their hands;
• And working together as an industry to deliver a unified public message around tech career opportunities, and to recognize and share best practices.
MRAA has had numerous communications (i.e. phone calls, e-mails, and face-to-face meetings) with the TechForce Foundation staff, and we see great opportunity to collaborate to develop a strong pipeline of future marine technicians.
As a result, MRAA is supporting the TechForce Foundation through the following:
• Educating our membership on the initiative and its mission;
• Distributing the initiative’s marketing campaign content so that the positive messages can make their way to parents and influencers of our FutureTechs;
• Helping to identify resources to assist in the creation of tactile challenges;
• And working together with FutureTech Success™ supporters to identify and communicate industry best practices.
Please join us in learning more about this new national initiative, and in pledging your marketing muscle as well as any other support you can offer. To learn more, visit futuretechsuccess.org.
Sincerely,
Liz Walz
Vice President
Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
CARMAX SIGNS ON TO SUPPORT TECHFORCE FOUNDATION®’S FUTURETECH SUCCESS® CAMPAIGN
Partnership to support industry-wide initiative to address technician shortage
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — March 18, 2019 — With the transportation industry’s growing demand for technicians, CarMax is partnering with TechForce Foundation on its FutureTech Success campaign in an effort to raise awareness of trade and technical careers. As an advocate supporter of FutureTech Success, CarMax has made a $50,000 annual commitment and will help TechForce Foundation champion creating a pipeline of talent within the industry for auto technicians.
TechForce Foundation is a leading educational nonprofit 501(c)(3) that has developed the FutureTech Success campaign, an industry-wide initiative to drive tomorrow’s workforce of technicians by inspiring, supporting and connecting middle and high-school students and their influencers with the resources necessary to support their technical education and career development.
“Auto technicians at CarMax are critical to our success, so we want to be at the forefront of the effort to attract new talent in a rapidly changing industry”, said Chris Sloan, assistant vice president, service operations at CarMax. “Attracting talent with the necessary skills needed to be an auto tech is a priority for us, which is why we are investing in educating students and increasing awareness of the opportunities throughout industry.”
Not only will this partnership focus on raising the profile of trade and technical careers, which is a necessary step to support the exponential growth and demand for auto technicians, it will help improve the image of technician careers.
“Parents often believe that the auto technician career is not desirable due to an outdated understanding of potential wages and the career path,” said Jennifer Maher, CEO and Executive Director of TechForce Foundation. “We are excited to partner with CarMax to reframe the stigmas and help future techs gain the technical skills they need to deliver best-in-class services throughout their careers.”
About CarMax
CarMax is the nation’s largest retailer of used cars and operates more than 200 stores in 41 states nationwide. CarMax revolutionized the auto industry by delivering the honest, transparent and high-integrity car buying experience customers want and deserve. For more than 25 years, CarMax has made car buying more ethical, fair and stress-free by offering a no-haggle, no-hassle experience and an incredible selection of vehicles. CarMax makes selling your car easy too, by offering no-obligation appraisals good for seven days. At CarMax, we’ll buy your car even if you don’t buy ours®. CarMax has approximately 25,000 associates nationwide and for 15 consecutive years has been named as one of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®. During the 12 months ending February 28, 2018, the company retailed 721,512 used cars and sold 408,509 wholesale vehicles at its in-store auctions. For more information, access the CarMax website at www.carmax.com.
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.
CarMax Contact:
Lindsey Duke, click to email, 804-317-8852
TechForce Foundation Contact:
Jennifer Maher, click to email, 623-445-0933 or 602-550-0371
TechForce Foundation and FASE team-up to bring Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Competition to Denver area schools
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — February 26th, 2019 TechForce Foundation has just announced a grant to the Foundation for Advanced Stem Education (FASE), the first received by the newly-founded organization. FASE is focused on providing hands-on, team-driven STEM projects for students, encouraging problem-solving skills and helping them explore possible career paths. The TechForce grant provides the seed money for the first of these projects, the 2019 Elementary School “Hydrogen Fuel Cell” Car Competition.
Students from nine elementary schools across multiple school districts in the Denver Metro area will participate in the challenge, building a small fuel-cell DIY kit car. They must assemble the fuel cell components and get the fuel cell operational, as well as install the electric motor. They will then build their own chassis and wheels. For those students who want to take it a step further, there is a second division of competition where they will also design and build their own body. Creativity and imagination are highly encouraged in the build.
The competition is the kick-off project for FASE, and the brainchild of FASE founder and Wheat Ridge High School STEM teacher Charles L. Sprague. “This competition creates the perfect opportunity to engage kids in hands-on opportunities at the elementary school level in a fun and challenging way, with cutting-edge technology” says Sprague. “Today’s kids have very few occasions to experience these types of tactile activities; something that is a shame, and which FASE is working hard to change.” According to Greg Settle, Director of National Initiatives at TechForce, that is exactly why TechForce wanted to partner with FASE. “Our research clearly shows that a key impediment to young men and women considering, and then choosing careers in skilled trades is that they are not exposed to tactile, hands-on engagement in their formative years. Sadly, they may not even get that exposure later on in middle school or high school. To partner with a foundation that is seeking to do just that couldn’t be a more perfect fit for TechForce.”
About FASE FASE is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) whose mission is the advancement of interdisciplinary skill development through student driven projects in K-12 STEM education in the Denver Metro Area. It strives to accomplish this through partnership with industry, community and business providing open-ended, hands-on and team-driven STEM projects that encourage problem-solving for students in order to help them explore meaningful career paths to become passionate, contributing members of society.
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.
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.”
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
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
Scottsdale, Ariz. — December 5, 2018 — Ford Motor Company is continuing to work with the TechForce Foundation to inspire tomorrow’s workforce of automotive technicians through a new FutureTech Success® campaign. This initiative will send the message to current and future techs that Ford respects, appreciates and champions trained technicians.
TechForce Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), has a mission to champion students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians. The FutureTech Success campaign was developed to ignite the passion and sense of purpose in students who love working with their hands. The campaign works to reposition the image of the technical profession as a high-tech, in-demand, and rewarding career choice.
“The automotive industry is facing a significant shortage of qualified automotive service technicians,” said Antonietta Polsinelli, Technical Placement Manager. “With this collaboration, we are proud to support and motivate students who have demonstrated an aptitude toward technical skills to consider the opportunities a career as an automotive service technician can provide.”
Ford Motor Company has previously worked with TechForce by providing scholarships for technical education, but wanted to work to help students earlier. This program exposes students to advancements in auto manufacturing.
“We are thrilled Ford is continuing this collaboration through support of FutureTech Success as well as the scholarship program,” said Jennifer Maher, CEO and Executive Director of TechForce Foundation. “When techs rock, America rolls, and with Ford on board with their leading technology, we will educate and spur excitement within the next generation of automotive technicians.”
For more information about TechForce Foundation and the FutureTech Success campaign, visit TechForceFoundation.org.
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 in the transportation industry. The Foundation distributes more than $2 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.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
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."
