The TechForce Foundation is now accepting donations to sponsor student attendance at the 2019 TMCFutureTech skills competition Sept. 16-17 in Raleigh, NC. Sponsorships are $1,000 per student, and the competition has a capacity of 60 student competitors.
New this year, the foundation is managing the donation process through its website.
“This accomplishes a few things,” National Initiatives Director Greg Settle said. “First, it makes the process quick and simple for those wishing to contribute, which they do by credit card. They, then receive a receipt for their donation e-mailed to them for tax purposes, as TechForce Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
“Finally, for those organizations whose polices do not allow them to donate directly to an individual, it allows them to contribute and support students through TechForce.”
Sponsorships cover transportation, registration fees, lodging costs and meals.
The student competition supplements ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) SuperTech event, which showcases commercial vehicle technicians who compete for top honors and prizes as they demonstrate their diagnostic abilities through a series of skills stations.
The student tech competition, now in its sixth year, consists of a set of skill stations for post-secondary technician students, and is patterned after TMCSuperTech.
Eligible students must be 18 or older and currently enrolled in a post-secondary diesel technician training program. Students who have already graduated from a program within the previous six months of their registration date also are eligible. TMC communicates information on the competition to students via their contacts in ASE-affiliated schools and through TMC educator members.
“An important outcome of this type of scholarship is that it demonstrates to these young men and women that industry is willing to invest in them,” Settle said. “It shows the importance that industry places on education and the demonstration of knowledge and competencies.
“Additionally, it gives the companies that are supporting the building of tomorrow’s work force through the competition access to the best and brightest graduates. The success of this is probably most evident in how quickly many of the competitors receive job offers.”
For more information on sponsorships, click here. For more information on the event, click here. The deadline for students to register for the event is Aug. 16.