Ford is partnering with veteran groups such as the Bluestar Family and Guitar 4 Veterinarians to help veterans and their families drive the Broncos on off-road courses.
Ford is further supporting training automotive technicians with new investments in the Automotive Technology Scholarship Program.
The company's philanthropy division and Ford dealers have invested $4 million in the program. Ford said it will be diversified as a $5,000 scholarship for 800 students, with the goal of working as an automotive engineer.
Ford Philanthropy launched the Auto Tech Scholarship Program in 2023. The Techforce Foundation, an Arizona-based nonprofit, will promote grants.
The latest $4 million investment in Ford's Automotive Engineer Scholarship shows an increase of $2 million from last year and a $3 million increase compared to 2023.
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This is because the automotive industry is fighting against a continuing shortage of mechanisms.
Demand for new automotive engineers is expected to exceed 351,000 from 2025 to 2028. According to Report from the Techforce Foundation.
Meanwhile, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that until 2033 there will be around 67,800 openings for automotive service engineers and mechanics every year.
“This issue is bigger than Ford,” Alex Shelton, the future education manager for his work with Ford Philanthropy, told Fox Business in an interview. “But we want to come to the table on behalf of the entire industry and support the entire industry. The scholarship, which began in 2023, was a Ford charity opportunity. Our dealers will come together to provide scholarships that will help students go to school, through school, through school.”
“In the last three years, we have been able to grow from $1 million to $2 million up until this year. This is a $4 million program that supports 800 students across the country,” he said.
Automotive technology students working on vehicles (Ford Motor Co)
According to the TechForce Foundation website, individuals who have registered as individuals who have qualified automobile, diesel or combined technician higher education programs and current participants have now been able to apply to 800 needs-based scholarships. They must have completed a free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Schools eligible for the Automotive Technology Scholarship Program are scattered across multiple regions of the United States. list It is shown on the Techforce Foundation website.
Shelton told Fox Business that it was a “tuition first-rate scholarship,” but noted that it “is not limited to tuition fees.”
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According to Shelton, funding from the Automotive Technology Scholarship Program, including childcare, gas, transportation, housing and food, is “engulfed in other aspects of the student's educational needs.”
“There are many barriers students can face on their educational journeys, and it is often a few dollars to force them to get them off the ground or drop out of school.
Makena Enga, a past recipient of one of the Ford scholarships, said her grant helped Fox Business give her the opportunity to stay at school to become an automotive technician.
Makena Enga is a past recipient of the Ford Scholarship (Ford Motor Co)
“Trade schools aren't cheap,” she said. “I don't think schools after high school are the cheapest, but trade schools accelerate and make the workforce faster, which means you have to pay tuition a little faster.
According to Enga, Ford has taken great help in pursuing her career goals. She hopes to eventually work for Formula One.
“Ford, especially in my long-term goal, Ford's performance is NASCAR and F1, and there are many connections and ways to get to know people and meet people,” she said.
Enga also said the scholarship was a motivational one while in school.
“When you get a scholarship that really encourages you to do well and stay behind you and keep moving forward with it, you say, “Oh, they trust me, I should keep doing this, I should keep trusting myself, too.”
According to Shelton, Ford hopes that the next generation of automotive engineer members will be born from the Automotive Technology Scholarship Program.
Autotechnology students looking underside of the vehicle (Ford Motor Co)
Past scholarship recipients include high school graduates And, among others, those trying to switch career paths later in their lives, he said.
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“This is not the career path that many people think when thinking about automotive technicians,” Shelton also told Fox Business. “There's so many technologies. This cutting edge technology is woven throughout the vehicle, and the vehicles continue to be more refined and clever every day due to the info into electric vehicles.”
“I think careers are changing because you just want to work with your own hands, but you just need someone to blend it with this exciting technical element. While this scholarship hopes to provide financial aid and remove barriers to students, it can also dispel any misconceptions about the meaning of entering the industry and the ability to have amazing opportunities to get into a career.
According to Ibisworld, more than 634,000 people in the US were working as automotive mechanics in 2024.
