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Tag: 2022

Meet Luke, TechForce scholarship recipient & future Aviation maintenance technician

Meet Luke, TechForce scholarship recipient & future Aviation maintenance technician

Luke was initially exposed to the possibility of a career in aviation via a field trip with his school. He says, “We took a field trip to a small local airport to find out more about its operations and possible vocational opportunities that lie within that type of business. I once again found myself interested in aircraft and how they are maintained and operated. It all seemed very exciting!”

He is very excited about his aviation maintenance program, and is particularly enthusiastic about the opportunity he will have to work on aircraft at the National Aviation Academy aircraft hangar.

Regarding his ultimate career goals, Luke says, “I would like to travel around the world and work on aircraft for an aviation company.”

From the Gridiron to the Hanger

Luke says that being a high school football captain helped him learn to be a leader. He was a co-captain on his freshman team, and there was significant conflict among the players.

“To say I had my work cut out for me was an understatement. Before we even had our first game there were constant arguments and disagreements. The coaches spoke to the co-captains and said you must lead by example.”

Luke was able to implement this suggestion, “I remembered what the coaches had told me about leading by example and I began working hard along with the other players and we came together as a team. We were the first freshman team in many years that had an undefeated season!”

Luke’s Scholarship

Luke’s education has been financially stressful on his family, because he has 3 siblings, all of whom are also in college right now. Additionally, his family experienced periods of decreased income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Luke is incredibly grateful for the tuition support provided by the Accelerate Tuition Scholarship Award, which will help him cover the cost of school and start his career on solid footing.

About TechForce Scholarships

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, with more than 40,000 students supported since 2007.

Learn more and apply for TechForce scholarships and grants at TechForce.org/Scholarships

Happy Holidays from the TechForce team!

Happy Holidays from TechForce Foundation!

Thank you for your support this past year! We could not have achieved all we did for technicians and technician students without you, and we achieved quite a bit. 

2022 saw the launch of the TechForce App, making it even easier to join the only career platform dedicated to the technician workforce. We also continued TechForce’s Diversity & Inclusion efforts, including our weekly Women Techs Rock interview series.

TechForce also celebrated the 4th annual FutureTechs Rock and Techs Rock Awards, launched our Mobile STEM Career Center, welcomed exciting new partners in our workforce development campaign, and continued to award over $1.5 million in scholarships and grants to students with financial need. TechForce has now helped over 40,000 future technicians pay for their technical education since our founding!

>We’re also getting closer to our goal of raising $750,000 to promote the skilled trades and even more scholarships, take students to premier industry events and support our community of students, techs and instructors. Donate today and help make this happen.

TechForce Foundation wishes you and your family a happy & healthy holiday season and a wonderful New Year. We can’t wait to see you virtually in TechForce and live at our STEM Career Center in 2023!

Happy Holidays,

The TechForce Foundation Team
Driving Tomorrow’s Workforce of Technicians™

2022 Techs Rock Awards Grand Prize Winner Announcement

TechForce Foundation® Announces Grand Prize Winner
In 4th Annual Techs Rock AwardsTM

Auto Technician Daniel McCrum of Gulfport, MS Named Grand Prize Winner; Five Professional Technicians Honored for Passion and Commitment to Career

 

December 6, 2022 — PHOENIX — TechForce Foundation® announces automotive technician Daniel McCrum of CarMax in Gulfport, MS as the 2022 Techs Rock Awards Grand Prize Winner. TechForce created this prestigious award in 2018 to honor professional technicians who mentor and inspire the next generation of techs, bring excellence to their workplaces and communities, and demonstrate passion and commitment to the profession. Meet the full slate of honorees including Category and Grand Prize Winners at TechForce.org/TechsRock.

“What!? Wow… I’m in, like, shock right now. Thank you!” Daniel exclaimed upon learning of his Award. “I kinda thought I had a pretty fair chance to win something because of everything I overcame, but I didn’t think I could win the whole thing. This is a national contest… it’s nationwide wide and I won!”

Not every student needs to go to a 4-year university. TechForce created the Techs Rock Awards to highlight the contributions of technicians in their workplaces and communities and demonstrate to the public that a technical education and career is a viable pathway to success. The Awards showcase the benefits of an in-demand technician career to spark students’ interest, and the TechForce Network meets those students where they are with the resources needed to explore and pursue a technical education and career.

Thousands of TechForce followers weighed in to select Daniel as the Grand Prize Winner from among five Category Winners in the November 28 – December 2, 2022 People’s Choice public vote. Daniel previously won the Awards’ Barrier Buster Category.

As the Grand Prize Winner Daniel will receive more than $10,000 in total prizes from TechForce and our industry partners. Prize sponsors include Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Caliber, Cengage Learning, CRC Industries, Ford Motor Company, Snap-on Industrial and WD-40 Company.

Since 2018 technicians have received more than $27,000 in prizes. Over $17,500 in prizes are being awarded in the 2022 Techs Rock Awards alone, including:

  • Each Category Winner (Grand Prize Winner included) received tools, gift cards and other prizes valued at over $1,700.
  • The Grand Prize Winner also receives an all-expenses-paid trip to STX 2024 in Orlando, FL valued at $3,000 courtesy of Advance Auto Parts, along with an additional prize package valued at over $5,500.

The five Category Winners represent less than one percent of the nearly 700 technicians nominated. Winners were selected by a panel of expert celebrity judges including Emily Reeves, Flying Sparks Garage; Charles Sanville, The Humble Mechanic; Bogi Lateiner, Bogi’s Garage; Pete Meier, Motor Age Magazine; and Julia Landauer, Julia Landauer Racing.

The 2022 Category Winners represent five states and five companies including one independently-owned auto repair shop and one technical school. Each honoree is recognized in one of the Techs Rock Awards’ distinct categories:

  • Barrier Buster – Daniel McCrum, Carmax. The Barrier Buster category recognizes technicians for showing heart and passion in overcoming obstacles to succeed.
  • Die Hard – Joshua Ferrantino, Rodman Ford. The Die Hard category recognizes industry superfans who live, breathe, sleep, and thrive in their career.
  • Outstanding Mentor – Frank Mendoza, Flow Nissan & NASCAR Technical Institute. The Outstanding Mentor category recognizes techs for providing support and guidance to the industry’s future technicians.
  • Pay it Forward – Zachary Carlsen, Northern Auto Repair. The Pay it Forward category recognizes technicians for being a community advocate and inspiring the next generation of techs.
  • Rookie of the Year – Kael Gortat, Carmax. The Rookie of the Year category recognizes up-and-coming tech professionals with under two years’ professional experience.

The Techs 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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2022 Techs Rock Awards: Category Winners Announced & Grand Prize Vote NOW OPEN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TechForce Foundation® Opens Grand Prize Vote & Announces Category Winners in 4th Annual Techs Rock Awards

Five technicians recognized for outstanding contributions as role models in their shops & communities, one to be selected by the public for Grand Prize

November 28, 2022 — PHOENIX — TechForce Foundation® announces the Category Winners in the 2022 Techs Rock Awards and opens the Grand Prize Public Vote. TechForce created this prestigious award in 2018 to honor professional technicians who mentor and inspire the next generation of techs, bring excellence to their workplaces and communities, and demonstrate passion and commitment to the profession. Meet the Category Winners and vote for the Grand Prize Winner at TechForce.org/Vote. Voting is open through 11:59 PM PT on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022.

The five Category Winners represent less than one percent of the nearly 700 technicians nominated. Winners were selected by a panel of expert celebrity judges including Emily Reeves, Flying Sparks Garage; Charles Sanville, The Humble Mechanic; Bogi Lateiner, Bogi’s Garage; Pete Meier, Motor Age Magazine; and Julia Landauer, Julia Landauer Racing.

Since 2018 technicians have received more than $27,000 in prizes. Over $17,500 in prizes are being awarded in the 2022 Techs Rock Awards:

  • Each Category Winner receives prizes valued over $1,700 from TechForce partners including Ford Motor Company, AutoZone, CRC Industries, Snap-on Industrial, Advance Auto Parts, WD-40 Company and Cengage.
  • The Grand Prize Winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to STX 2024 in Orlando, FL valued at $3,000 courtesy of Advance Auto Parts, along with an additional prize package valued at over $5,500 from TechForce partners CRC Industries, Ford Motor Company, Snap-on Industrial, Advance Auto Parts, WD-40 Company and AutoZone.

Each Category Winner represents a distinct category. Awardees include:

  • Barrier Buster – Daniel McCrum, CarMax. The Barrier Buster category recognizes technicians for showing heart and passion in overcoming obstacles to succeed.
  • Die Hard – Joshua Ferrantino, Rodman Ford. The Die Hard category recognizes industry superfans who live, breathe, sleep, and thrive in their career.
  • Outstanding Mentor – Frank Mendoza, Flow Nissan & NASCAR Technical Institute. The Outstanding Mentor category recognizes techs for providing support and guidance to the industry’s future technicians.
  • Pay it Forward – Zachary Carlsen, Northern Auto Repair. The Pay it Forward category recognizes technicians for being a community advocate and inspiring the next generation of techs.
  • Rookie of the Year – Kael Gortat, CarMax. The Rookie of the Year category recognizes up-and-coming tech professionals with under two years’ professional experience.

The Grand Prize will be awarded to one Category Winner, as selected by the ongoing Grand Prize Public Vote. Voting ends Friday, December 2, 2022 at 11:59 PM PT. Read the Category Winners’ bios and vote for the 2022 Grand Prize Winner at TechForce.org/Vote

The Techs 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 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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TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to champion all students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians.

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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."
Tony Farr
Ford Technical Programs Manager