AutoZone has created a $10,000 AutoZone Future Technician Scholarship to "provide incentive to high school students to seek post-secondary educations, to help build automotive career option awareness and to infuse highly qualified professionals into the industry," said Steve Odland, chairman, president and CEO.
"One of the most effective ways to achieve those goals is to support and cultivate future automotive professionals at the educational level," said Odland. "This scholarship gives us the opportunity to make a profound and positive impact on the future of the automotive industry."
AutoZone intends to divide the scholarship incrementally to gold, silver and bronze medal winners of the SkillsUSA National Championships Automotive Service Technology contest held in Kansas City, Mo., on June 21, 2004. Only medal-winning high school students planning on continuing to post-secondary programs will be eligible.
The scholarship will be managed and administered by SkillsUSA—VICA’s Youth Development Foundation (YDF).
SkillsUSA—VICA is a national non-profit organization whose primary goal is to better prepare students to meet the occupational requirements of today's vocational industries through the collaboration and support of industry professionals and educational leaders.
"We are very pleased to associate with AutoZone in creating this scholarship," said Eric Gearhart, SkillsUSA's director of Business and Industry Partnerships. "AutoZone and our other official sponsors continue to demonstrate that corporate citizenship is alive and thriving. We need to revitalize technical education in this country and AutoZone is stepping up to the challenge."
According to information published by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), graduates of community college, vocational and technical programs have a 100% chance of placement in the automotive field.
