As students across the country head back to school, Icahn Automotive is announcing the recipients of its inaugural scholarship program. Twenty students enrolled in accredited post-secondary automotive technology programs have each been awarded a $2,500 scholarship for the 2019-2020 school year.

Icahn Automotive Group LLC, an Icahn Enterprises L.P. company, which owns and operates leading auto repair and maintenance providers Pep Boys, AAMCO and Precision Tune Auto Care, established the program as part of a multi-year commitment to technician education and promotion of the skilled trades.

“The Icahn Automotive scholarship program is certainly an investment in the future, especially as we face such a large talent deficit in the skilled trades,” said Icahn Automotive Service CEO Brian Kaner. “It’s our vision for young people to see the truly amazing potential of automotive service careers and we’re eager to support these students as they progress from the classroom to the service bay.”

Twelve Icahn Automotive scholarships were awarded to young men and women based on academics, character and commitment to the automotive service industry. The application process included submission of an essay or video testimonial describing why the applicant would like to be a future top technician and multiple letters of recommendation.

In celebration of the Icahn Automotive “Race to 2026” initiative, an additional eight students were awarded scholarships during events that included investments in automotive technical schools and classroom renovations at Universal Technical Institutes in Orlando, FL and Avondale, AZ and NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, NC; as well as Lincoln Technical Institutes in Mahwah and Union, NJ, and Philadelphia, PA; and Alfred State University in Alfred, NY.  

The “Race to 2026” program was designed to invest in and support promising future automotive technicians. In addition to the scholarships, the initiative encourages more men and women to pursue viable careers in the skilled trades by partnering with technical training schools and offering apprenticeship and internship programs, job placement and continuing education opportunities.

Students receiving scholarships for the 2019-2020 school year are:

•        Travis Boquet, NASCAR Technical Institute/Universal Technical Institute, Mooresville, NC

•        Taylor Chandler, Lincoln Technical Institute, Philadelphia, PA  

•        Joseph Chin, Lincoln Technical Institute, Mahwah, NJ

•        Jonathan Fanstill, NASCAR Technical Institute/ Universal Technical Institute, Mooresville, NC

•        Logan Gardner, NASCAR Technical Institute/Universal Technical Institute, Mooresville, NC

•        Isiah Gomez, Universal Technical Institute, Houston, TX

•        Francisco Hernandez, Cypress College, Cyprus, CA

•        Dominic Lightner, Universal Technical Institute, Orlando, FL

•        Joseph Medina, Lincoln Technical Institute, Philadelphia, PA

•        Timothy Moment, Lincoln Technical Institute, Philadelphia, PA

•        Jeremy Pedersen, Lincoln Technical Institute, Union, NJ

•        Joshua Ruby, Washtenaw Community College; Ann Arbor, MI

•        Robert Scott, Lincoln Technical Institute, Philadelphia, PA

•        Sebestian Tassy, Lincoln Technical Institute, Union, NJ

•        Caleb Travis, NASCAR Technical Institute/UTI, Mooresville, NC

•        Frank Van Althius, Lincoln Technical Institute, Mahwah, NJ

•        Alicia Whatley, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Orlando, FL    

•        Zachary Wood, NASCAR Technical Institute/ Universal Technical Institute, Mooresville, NC

•        Jeramy Yeagley, Universal Technical Institute, Avondale, AZ

•        Waliuz Zaman, Universal Technical Institute, Irving, TX

Automotive service is one of several skilled trades facing a shortage of incoming professionals needed to address business growth and worker retirement. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the automotive repair industry will need nearly 46,000 more technicians by 2026 to meet anticipated demand.

Additionally, in any given year there are as many as 75,000 job openings, due in large part to the retirement of the last generation of technicians who benefitted from broadly available vocational education programs.

Now one of the largest service chain operators in North America, Icahn Automotive offers a broad range of industry-leading opportunities and career paths. Technicians can start by providing basic maintenance and move on to more complex repairs, or progress to running a company-owned store, owning and operating a franchised business, or serving in a corporate leadership role. Once a technician joins an Icahn Automotive business, they can take advantage of benefits such as tuition assistance, an apprenticeship program and company-sponsored certifications.