ACDelco Enhances TSS Educational Scholarship Program for Greater Awareness to More Candidates

GRAND BLANC, MICH. — While tuition prices are up 35 percent from five years ago,¹ the demand for well-qualified automotive service technicians and installers remains an industry-wide issue. With the U.S. Department of Labor predicting employment of automotive service technicians will increase 9–17 percent through 2014,² ACDelco is pleased to continue providing educational opportunities for young technicians and future shop owners.

For the 10th consecutive year, ACDelco will offer its nationwide scholarship program exclusively to its Total Service Support (TSS) accounts. Scholarships will be awarded to select technicians and dependents of shop owners whose Independent Service Centers (ISCs) participate in ACDelco’s TSS program. In order to reach a greater number of qualified candidates, ACDelco has made some changes to its TSS Educational Scholarship program.

One new change is that the ACDelco TSS Educational Scholarships will be processed through the GM Scholarship Administration Center (GMSAC). The GMSAC will handle all inquiries, distribution and marketing of the ACDelco TSS Educational Scholarship similarly to how it handles Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) and the GM Automotive Service Educational Program (GM ASEP) scholarships.

The move provides one central focal point for GM-related educational scholarships, consistent evaluation of candidates and a more efficient processing system that allows for quicker turnarounds and ensures the scholarship recipients are among the most qualified applicants.

In addition, the application deadline will move from the previous year’s October cutoff. The next ACDelco TSS Educational Scholarship deadline is March 30, 2008 — in line with other traditional educational scholarships.

“Funneling the applications through the GM Scholarship Administration Center should help increase the awareness of the ACDelco TSS Scholarships,“ said John Putnam, ACDelco U.S. TSS Program manager. “Any viable candidates inquiring about the other GM scholarships will be made aware of the TSS Educational Scholarship, resulting in more applicants.

Putnam added, “Moving the timing to the spring not only allows the recipients to have their awards announced and recognized prior to their graduation ceremonies, but it also allows those who wish to begin their schooling in the summer to already have their scholarships in hand.“

Developed by GM Service and Parts Operations (GMSPO), the ACDelco TSS Educational Scholarship Program is designed to help develop quality technicians as well as future shop owners and operators.

Technicians and dependents interested in applying for the ACDelco TSS Educational Scholarship must have a high school diploma or GED. Applicants are required to submit their official high school transcripts with a minimum 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average, write a personal essay explaining why they wish to pursue a career in their chosen field of study and provide a letter of recommendation. Bonus consideration will be given to applicants who are seeking professions in the automotive field. The ACDelco TSS Advisory Council reviews the essays, along with the applications, when selecting the recipients.

Participating TSS accounts can contact their ACDelco representative for more details, or visit www.acdelcotechconnect.com for an application and for more information about scholarship requirements, submission deadlines and selection criteria.

ISCs interested in learning more about ACDelco’s TSS program are encouraged to visit www.acdelcotechconnect.com or call 1-800-ACDelco.

1. The College Board’s 2006 Reports on College Pricing and Financial Aid, http://www.collegeboard.com/press/releases/150634.html
2. U.S. Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), 2006 – 2007 Edition. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos181.htm