Women in Auto Care, a community of the Auto Care Association, set a new record for its scholarship program, distributing 86 awards in both cash scholarships and starter toolkits, ($413,500 in value). The awards benefited female students across the U.S. who are interested in a career in the auto care industry. This year’s program was supported by the Women in Auto Care community sponsors and member donations, the organization said.

Over the last year, Women in Auto Care:

• Continued its partnership with Garage Gurus to award five $7,000 cash scholarships totaling $35,000;
• Introduced its largest cash scholarship of $10,000 in partnership with Dorman;
• Awarded 20 toolkits valued at $9,000 each through its continued partnership with NAPA; and
• Partnered with Acuity to award an additional 10 toolkits valued at $4,250 each.

“Solving the challenges faced by our aftermarket technicians is paramount to the longevity of this industry,” said Cameron Richardson, senior vice president, consumer and digital, Genuine Parts Company. “The more we can remove these hurdles for prospective technicians, especially women, the better off we’ll be. We’re always proud to work alongside valued collaborators like Women in Auto Care to push the automotive aftermarket forward.”

“We know that the cost of toolkits can be a major barrier for students and new techs entering the field because of the cost associated with them,” said Chelsea Burris of Acuity. “We want to help remove that barrier, so that those individuals who have interest in pursuing a career in auto care have one less expense to worry about and can feel confident entering their education with a high-quality toolset.”

The Women in Auto Care scholarship program began in 2004 with just $2,000 and has continued to gain momentum each year, the association said. This marks the sixth year in a row that the program has reached its most successful year to date, with a more than 10% increase from the record set in 2022. The program surpassed more than $1 million dollars in scholarships and toolkits in 2022. Additionally, Women in Auto Care became a Gold Lifetime Trustee for the University of the Aftermarket in 2023, the association said.

“It was another record year for our scholarship program, donating over $410,000,” said Jessica Toliuszis, chair, Women in Auto Care. “I am especially proud of our tool program which awarded 30 pallets of tools to aspiring female technicians. We are deeply grateful for the support from the entire extended community. Thanks to our sponsors, we are funneling the talent pipeline in the automotive aftermarket with diverse candidates.”

For a full list of Women in Auto Care’s scholarship recipients, click here.