The Ingersoll Rand Foundation has awarded 50 high schools in eight cities a total of $500,000 in grant monies since 2015 to fund improvements to their automotive technology programs. The Ingersoll Rand Real Tools for Schools program awards high schools with $10,000 grants to enhance education for students in automotive technology programs with updated equipment, supplies, instructor training and curricula.
Since 2014, there has been a decline in the enrollment in automotive career and technical education programs nationwide due to lack of teachers, restricted school budgets, high operational costs and other factors (*). Yet, automotive technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and employers prefer to hire automotive technicians and mechanics who have completed a formal training program (**).
“These students are the future of the automotive industry. Ingersoll Rand supports technical education because it prepares students for career success and enhances job readiness,” says Austin Lieb, vice president of product management at Ingersoll Rand Power Tools.
In addition to the grants, Ingersoll Rand Power Tools employees engage with participating high schools to provide seminars, hands-on training and learning enrichment experiences for students enrolled in automotive technician programs.
Additionally, automotive technology students and teachers nationwide are also eligible for discounts to purchase Ingersoll Rand power tools.
For more information about the Real Tools for Schools program, visit myir.com/RealtoolsRealSchools/index.html.
Schools that have received Real Tools for Schools grants include:
Annandale, N.J.
North Montco Technical Career Center
Old Bridge High School
Warren County Technical School
Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School
Union County Vocational-Technical School
Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools
- Perth Amboy Campus
- East Brunswick Campus
- Piscataway Campus
Charlotte, N.C.
Maiden High School
South Mecklenburg High School
West Stanly High School
East Gaston High School
Indian Land High School
Jay M Robinson High School
Lincoln County School of Technology
Dallas, Texas
Career Center East
Duncanville High School
Ben Barber Career Tech Center
R.L. Turner High School
Fort Worth, Texas
Polytechnic High School
Green B. Trimble Technical High School
North Side High School
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School
Oscar Dean Wyatt High School
Davidson, N.C.
Davie County High School
Statesville High School
Kent, Wash.
Auburn High School
Bellevue High School
Bates Technical High School
Kentlake High School
Puget Sound Skills Center
Madison Heights, Mich.
South Lake High School
Fordson High School
Roseville High School
Fitzgerald High School
Chippewa Valley High School
Nashville, Tenn.
Stewarts Creek High School
Maplewood High School
Antioch High School
McGavock High School
Southern Pines, N.C.
Richmond Senior High School
Overhills High School
Cape Fear High School
Robeson County Career Center
Union Pines High School
Pinecrest High School
Lee County High School
West Montgomery High School
East Montgomery High School
North Moore High School
(*) Alexandra Pannoni, “Vocational High School Programs an Option for Teens,” U.S. News & World Report, October 20, 2014
(**) “Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics,” Bureau of Labor and Statistics, accessed October 30, 2015, bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/automotive-service-technicians-and-mechanics.htm.
