Lakewood, Colo. -- Pete Kornafel, chairman of the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium Scholarship (GAAS) Committee, spoke at a Rocky Mountain Automotive B3 Boosters Club luncheon Sept. 5 about the collaboration between GAAS and the Automotive Parts and Service Association (APSA) to help fund students seeking automotive careers.
"We had a problem with more kids than money, so I begged industry leaders to step up and help support their future employees," Kornafel said during his speech at Warren Tech. "These scholarships help to give a push to those who want to get into the industry but need help with the next step."
Today, the GAAS organization has given out more than 1,400 scholarships and $1.4 million to students heading into automotive careers, Kornafel said. The scholarships are geared toward graduating students from high school or first-year college or technical school students, he said.
The applicants are students who wish to pursue a career as a technician, wish to work in the automotive aftermarket industry, or are children of automotive employees, he said.
Last year there were 350 applicants for the automotive scholarships, Kornafel said, and he picked 20 students to receive scholarships after reviewing the applications.
The students are required to fill out the scholarship information online or via mail, along with a reference letter, high school transcripts, and an essay stating why the student deserves the money. Students can access the scholarship form at www.automotivescholarships.com.
Kornafel said he's been measuring the benchmark of success after scholarships are awarded. "We are surveying kids who have won past scholarships to determine the success of the program," he said, adding that 80 percent of GAAS scholarship recipients end up in the automotive industry.
Kornafel said he considers it vital that he collect more industry donations for scholarships to help a greater number of students prepare to enter the industry.
