Ford aims to tackle auto technician shortage with $2M scholarship investment
Ford Motor Co. announced Monday that its philanthropic Ford Fund, along with Ford dealers, is investing $2 million in scholarship money throughout the country to help students become automotive technicians.
The Ford Auto Tech Scholarship project will award 400 needs-based scholarships to current or future students who have completed high school and enrolled in auto programs, according to a Ford news release.
This investment is twice what the Ford Fund announced in 2023, when it launched the effort. The application process, which opened Monday, runs through Aug. 31.
To apply for a scholarship this year, applicants must study in the areas of Detroit, Greater Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Kansas City, Memphis, Miami, Seattle or Cincinnati. Scholarships will be awarded on a rolling basis and applications reviewed when received, Ford said.
The pinch in hiring auto techs
"The automotive industry continues to face an ongoing shortage of technicians, with over 400,000 techs needed by 2027," Ford said in its news release. "Now in its second year, the Ford Auto Tech Scholarship creates opportunities for rewarding, well-paying careers as the industry moves toward electrification and software integration."
Last year’s program directly resulted in 200 students receiving $1 million in scholarships across four regions: Greater Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix, the automaker said. Ford told the Free Press in 2023 that the automaker directed scholarships to regions with the most need for training.
The challenge of technician hiring and training was among the issues that emerged in a Detroit Free Press investigation published last month showing that Ford is reinspecting more than a quarter million vehicles to ensure that recalled Takata air bags were replaced properly. A whistleblower complaint alleged that Ford weakened tech certification standards, setting up the risk, which Ford adamantly denies.
In addition, Ford has notified dealers that 56% of their shop techs must complete mandatory training by April 1 or Ford will reject their repair claims. Reaction to that news and to the investigation revealed friction over repair reimbursement and related matters among Ford, its dealerships and their techs.
In recent days, federal safety regulators notified Ford that it has opened an investigation into why brake and steering assist recall repairs on the E-Series vehicles, often used as shuttle buses and ambulances, need to be repaired again.
Elena Ford, great-great granddaughter of Ford founder Henry Ford, is chief dealer engagement officer for the Dearborn automaker.
“As vehicles become more advanced, we need highly skilled technicians to maintain and service them,” she said in a statement. "Partnering with our dealers to invest in these students helps create job opportunities, shapes the future of our communities, and drives growth in our industry.“
The $5,000 scholarship per student will be awarded to people earning automotive technology degrees or certificates from various accredited programs, and may be used for tuition, tools, living expenses and transportation. Ford dealers will offer support, advice, onsite training and career guidance, Ford said.
Making the occupation more accessible
The Ford Auto Tech scholarships will be administered by the national nonprofit TechForce Foundation, which began operations in 2007 as the Universal Technical Institute supporting students attending its program and expanded in 2014 to try and address the tech shortage nationally, according to its website.
“Every technician plays a vital role in moving our communities forward. In order to solve the shortage of technicians the transportation industry currently faces, and because diversity drives innovation, we need to make the field more accessible for people of all backgrounds,” Jennifer Maher, chief executive officer of the TechForce Foundation, said in the Ford news release. “By partnering with Ford dealers and Ford Fund to remove barriers to entry and increase greater economic mobility, we pave the way for more communities to thrive.”
Tim Hovik, chairman of the Ford National Dealer Council that serves as an advisory group on strategy and developing issues within Ford, and owner of San Tan Ford in Gilbert, Arizona, couldn't be immediately reached for comment on Monday.
Ford spotlighted scholar Makenna Enga, who spoke of getting trained in Phoenix.
"I am extremely passionate about pursuing a technical education in automotive technology for many reasons,” Enga said in the news release. “To start with, a pretty obvious one is the lack of women in the industry. No one in my family has studied a trade, but I believe I was made for it."
To apply for a scholarship this year, applicants must study in the areas of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Phoenix, Kansas City, Memphis, Miami, Seattle, or Cincinnati. To apply, visit the TechForce website page devoted to the Ford partnership: techforce.org/fordfundv2/
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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on X at @phoebesaid
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford doubles scholarship fund to train auto technicians: How to apply
