Autolite has announced its support for TechForce Foundation Grants and Scholarships that help empower students toward a fulfilling career in the automotive industry.

TechForce Foundation’s Life Happens Emergency Grants provide financial assistance for student technicians whose education may have otherwise been derailed because of an emergency. 

Their scholarships provide a resource for historically underrepresented groups in the automotive space, as well as helps the industry combat a massive labour shortage.

“TechForce Foundation is honoured to welcome Autolite as a new partner,” TechForce CEO Jennifer Maher said.

“As a national nonprofit that champions technical careers so communities thrive, this support is critical to fulfilling our mission.”

An unexpected expense of around $450 can be all it takes to force a tech student to drop out.

That makes the TechForce Life Happens Emergency Grant critical to keeping students in school.

Autolite notes that 53% of these scholarships and grants were awarded to people of colour, with an additional focus on supporting women and veterans transitioning to jobs at home.

And results of the scholarships and grants have been clear: Recipients have an 88.7% retention rate – significantly higher than the U.S. national average of 66.2%, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

“Technicians are the lifeblood of the automotive service industry, not to mention some of our most important advocates in the automotive aftermarket,” said Carl Weber, senior marketing director, First Brands Group.

“We are honoured to be able to contribute to keeping tech students on the path toward graduation and a fruitful career.”

With the support of Autolite and other sponsors, TechForce offers more than $1.5 million in scholarships and grants each year – awarding $17 million in scholarships to 40,000 students since 2007.

Learn more about the TechForce Foundation at techforce.org, and visit autolite.com for more news and product information from Autolite.

About First Brands Group

First Brands Group is a global automotive parts company that develops, markets, and sells premium products through a portfolio of market-leading brands including: Raybestos complete brake solutions, Centric Parts replacement brake components, FRAM filtration products, Luber-finer filtration products, TRICO wiper blades, ANCO® wiper blades, Carter fuel and water pumps, Autolite spark plugs, StrongArm lift supports, and StopTech performance brakes. The First Brands Group portfolio of world-class brands offers best-in-class technology, industry-leading engineering capabilities and superior customer service.