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Auto Tech Scholarship Recipients at Work

Mike Micchiche at Best Chevrolet
Mike Micchiche
at Best Chevrolet

Jose Hernandez at Acura of Auburn
Jose Hernandez
at Acura of Auburn


2007 Massachusetts Automotive Technician Competition Participants

Team Honda
Team Honda

Team Acura
Team Acura

Team Chrysler
Team Chrysler

Team General Motors
Team General Motors

Team Nissan
Team Nissan

Team Audi
Team Audi

Automotive Technician Scholarship Program

Funded by the Massachusetts Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation

Crafting Your Automotive Career

Investing in Tomorrow’s Technicians

The automotive industry is providing great career opportunities for the country’s top technicians, and Massachusetts is part of this trend. According to the U.S Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for auto technicians will have increased by as much as 17 percent by the year 2014. The Bureau calls opportunities in this dynamic field one of the best options for those with problem-solving skills and thorough knowledge of automobiles. Take advantage of this excellent opportunity for good income and the satisfaction of highly skilled work with vehicles incorporating the latest in advanced technology.

In 2003, the Massachusetts Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation began awarding scholarships to many of the Commonwealth’s best and brightest auto technicians. Our commitment to this growing field is still going as strong as ever. Since 2003, the Foundation has awarded more than $500,000 to over 175 students.

Jumpstart Your Career

Plenty of successful career openings await you at countless dealerships, across Massachusetts. We want to make sure that qualified students like you have the means to pursue the advanced education necessary for those careers. We offer 4 full scholarships and at least 17 partial scholarships worth $4,000-$6,000 total. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. Apply today.

To apply for the scholarship program:

Download an application

There are two parts to the application. Postmark deadline to apply is June 5, 2009.

PDF Document Icon 2009 Auto Tech Scholarship application form (143 KB)

All materials, including transcript, must be addressed to:

Auto Tech Scholarships
Massachusetts Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation
59 Temple Place – Suite 505
Boston, MA  02111

What you need to know to get started

Students may be:

  • Any age.
  • Retraining for a career change or recent high school graduate.
  • Living or working out-of-state, as long as co-op work is with a dealership or dealer group based in Massachusetts. Please call us to confirm that your co-op dealership qualifies.
  • Entering or currently enrolled at an automotive program at one of the colleges noted below. Scholarships are initially awarded to those entering their first semester. However, additional slots may open up and those already enrolled at an automotive program may qualify. Please call if you are unsure of who qualifies.

Your training program must:

  • Be taught at an accredited (post-secondary) educational institution
  • Grant a degree
  • Include a co-op component

Qualifying colleges currently include:

Which Training Programs Do Not Qualify

  • Certificate programs that do not grant a degree
  • Post-secondary programs taught at high schools. Exception: Minuteman H.S. / Middlesex College

How much are the scholarships worth?

Full scholarships cover tuition and mandatory fees for a qualifying two-year Associates degree program. Partial scholarships are worth $4,000-$6,000 total over two years. Recipients must meet academic requirements each semester to continue to qualify. (One of these requirements includes maintaining a GPA of 3.0 in your automotive classes).

What They're Saying

Driving Force

Skilled automotive technicians and service managers take time out of their busy day to mentor up-and-coming auto techs at their dealerships. Here's what some of them are saying about their co-op students:


"Dennis is able to work on his own. He is a car guy to the bone; he has oil in his veins. He eats and breathes cars. It's more than a career for him, it's a passion."
—Lou Beauregard, Service Manager at Marcotte Ford of Dennis Landry,
auto tech scholarship recipient and Ford student at Springfield Tech Community College

"Alex is one of the best students we've had on board. He'll take on tasks just to challenge himself. By the time he graduates, he'll be an expert technician."
—Joe Cisek, Service Manager at Norm Wagner Toyota of scholarship recipient Alex Divoll and Toyota student at Mass Bay Community College

"I don't hesitate to pull Matt aside and ask him to diagnose a vehicle. Nine to ten times out of ten he is right. What makes Matt such a great employee is his willingness to tackle anything. I wish we could duplicate him."
—Alex Chase, Service Manager at Fraser Pontiac Buick GMC of scholarship recipient Matt Clark and student at New Hampshire Community Tech College

In the classroom & automotive shops

Learning in the classroom and in school shop is just as important as your co-op experience. Here's what instructors and automotive department heads say about their students:


"Matt is a GREAT asset to our college and our program. He works hard, participates in class & shop and strives to do his best… I am excited to have him as our student!"
—Tim Caley, ASEP Instructor at Massachusetts Bay Community College about automotive technician scholarship recipient Matthew Felizardo

"Jeremy understands the importance of a college degree; that he needs credentials to help promote him at a dealership. Jeremy doesn't feel comfortable until he gets more than a superficial understanding of how things work. He's persistent and works hard at obtaining his knowledge."
—Will French, automotive instructor at Massachusetts Bay Community College of Auto Tech Scholarship recipient and Toyota student Jeremy Johnson

"Matt is a renaissance technician. He has a keen interest in learning regardless of the subject matter. He has a genuine curiosity which he satisfies through research and meticulous organization."
—Michael Parker, Automotive Dept. Head at New Hampshire Community Technical College of Auto Tech Scholarship recipient Matt Clark

Fueling your future

Every year, the Foundation helps to enrich the lives of auto tech students through its scholarships. We're proud of the way these awards make a difference:


"Without your generous scholarship my dream of furthering my education in the automotive field would never have been achieved. I enjoy the challenge and am amazed at the broad span of automotive fields that are available to me."
—Matthew Felizardo, Auto Tech Scholarship recipient who performs his co-op at Mastria Buick Pontiac GMC

"Receiving the scholarship has allowed me to focus on school instead of a second job. It is one less thing that I have to worry about."
—Jeremy Johnson, Auto Technician Scholarship recipient and Toyota student at Mass. Bay Community College

"The award has helped me to focus on my studies, becoming a better student and technician. I'm so grateful to the Foundation."
—Matt Clark, Auto Tech Scholarship recipient and student at NHCTC's ASEP program

Where They're From

Schools

The Foundation is proud to list some of the high schools from which scholarship recipients have graduated. These include some of the top vocational automotive schools as well as traditional schools in the Commonwealth. Students come to us with varied backgrounds - including studying at schools outside the U.S. - but all have one thing in common: they are passionate about the automotive technician profession. Can you spot your school from the list below?

bsq.gif 1st High School of Sparta (Greece)  Amesbury High School
 Amherst Regional High School  Another Course to College
 Ashland High School  Auburn High School
 Bay Path Regional Vocational Tech High School  Billerica Memorial High School
 Blackstone Valley Regional Voc. Technical High School  Blue Hills Technical High School
 Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School  Brookline High School
 Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School  Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
 Carver High School  Cathedral High School
 Charlestown High School  Council Rock High School (PA)
 Dedham High School  Douglas High School
 Framingham High School  Franklin High School
 Gardner High School  Greater Lowell Tech High School
 Hampshire Regional High School  Holliston High School
 Hopkinton High School  James Madison High School
 Joseph P. Keefe Technical High School  Leominster High School
 Londonderry High School (NH)  Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative Career Tech Center
 Ludlow High School  Lunenburg High School
 Madison Park Tech Vocational High School  Marian High School
 Matignon High School  Maynard High School
 McCann Technical School  Milford High School
 Minuteman Regional High School  Montachusett Regional Voc Tech School
 Monument Mountain Regional High School  Mt. Hope High School (RI)
 Needham High School  North Quincy High School
 Northampton High School  Northbridge High School
 Norwood High School  Peabody Veterans Memorial High School
 Quaboag Regional High School  Quincy High School
 Royal Academy (ME)  S. Hadley High School
 Salem High School  Scituate High School (RI)
 Shanghai High School (China)  Shawsheen Valley Tech.
 Shrewsbury High School  Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School
 South Shore Voc Tech High School  Southeastern RVHS
 Southwick Tolland Regional High School  St. John's High School
 St. Paul S.S. (Ireland)  Taconic High School
 Thomson High School  Tri-County Regional Voc Tech High School
 Upper Cape Regional Tech  Wachusett Regional High School
 Wakefield High School  Walpole High School
 Waltham High School  Weymouth Vocational Tech. High School
 Woodstock Academy (CT)  Woodstock Union H.S. (VT)
 Worcester Tech High School