Ford Motor Company Fund, the company’s philanthropic arm, is joining Ford dealers in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Phoenix to provide a million dollars in scholarship funding to help students pursue careers as automotive technicians.
The TechForce Foundation’s most recent Transportation Technician Supply & Demand Report found that the amount of incoming automotive technicians from vocational programs declined nearly 12%, and that the diesel and collision repair segments together have dropped 17% over the past five years. Ford is seeking to alleviate these statistics by making education for the trades more accessible to students.
Read more: Dropping technician numbers may become problem for shops“These scholarships will go a long way in engaging students, particularly those from under-resourced communities, to consider careers in automotive technology and service,” said Jennifer Maher, CEO, TechForce Foundation.
The Ford Auto Tech Scholarship is open to current and future students who are enrolled in post-secondary auto or auto and diesel technician training programs in the Greater Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix areas. This need-based scholarship is applied to a student's school tuition account and may be used for all cost of attendance, including tuition, tools, living expenses, and transportation.
Scholarships will be administered by the TechForce Foundation, a national nonprofit supporting students into careers as professional technicians.
Of the money adjudicated to TechForce Foundation, successful applicants will earn $5,000, or $2,500 per semester. For more information and to apply for the Ford Auto Tech Scholarship opportunity students can visit the company’s website, where they will create a TechForce profile, select their tech school, and then complete a general application as well as a series of Ford Fund Auto Tech Scholarship questions.
Applications are due by June 30, 2023, and applicants will be notified of the results on a rolling basis throughout the spring and summer.
