DETROIT – With the nationwide automotive service technician scarcity worsening, Ford Motor Co. is taking goal at 4 hard-hit cities with a $1 million scholarship program to assist 200 pupil service technicians get their levels.
Demand for technicians in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix is rising whereas native colleges aren’t graduating sufficient college students to fill the roles. Ford estimates demand for technicians will enhance by 14 % in Arizona, 10 % in Texas, 7 % in Georgia and three % within the metropolis of Chicago.
The $1 million scholarship fund shall be out there to the 200 college students in $5,000 funds beginning this summer time; every area will get $250,000. A Ford spokesman mentioned the corporate will research how this system works and will finally roll it out to different areas and markets. The $1 million is being put up by the Ford Fund, the corporate’s philanthropic arm, and Ford sellers.
The Ford Auto Tech Scholarship is open to present and future college students who’re enrolled in post-secondary auto or auto- and diesel-related technician coaching packages in Better Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix, based on Ford. Scholarships are utilized to a pupil’s faculty tuition account and can be utilized to cowl the price of attendance, tuition, instruments, residing bills and transportation.
“As we transfer towards an electrified future, these profession alternatives are thrilling and require expert technicians who’re proficient in STEM-related research,” mentioned Elena Ford, Ford’s chief buyer expertise officer.
STEM refers to science, expertise, engineering and arithmetic.
“Working along with the Ford Fund and our sellers to supply this scholarship packages means we are going to welcome a brand new technology of numerous college students to the trade and hopefully into our Ford Household to assist us higher serve our clients,” she mentioned.
The scholarships shall be administered by the nonprofit TechForce Basis, which works with college students {and professional} technicians as they additional their careers.
“These scholarships will go a good distance in participating college students, notably these from under-resourced communities, to contemplate careers in automotive expertise,” mentioned Jennifer Maher, CEO of TechForce Basis.
The scholarship program is the most recent effort Ford is utilizing to fight the technician scarcity. Ford additionally works to encourage college students to contemplate automotive engineering, pc and technical careers with its sponsorship of FIRST Robotics, a program for highschool college students that options aggressive matches between colleges in regional, state and nationwide competitions. Ford has at the least seven different packages that goal to extend the variety of technicians getting into the sphere or to enhance their coaching.
The scarcity of technicians could cause dealerships to lose enterprise and decrease buyer satisfaction if clients cannot get their vehicles repaired in a well timed method.