LAUREN HARPER

Board member Ken Barr, Autobahn Fort Worth president Brendon Harrington and South Campus president Dan Lufkin shake hands after signing the scholarship check at a celebration hosted at the dealership on Feb. 21.

Ten automotive technician students can now graduate tuition-free after Autobahn Fort Worth awarded a $50,000 scholarship to the South Campus program.  

Along with the monetary prize, recipients will also be given an internship opportunity with the dealership.  

Autobahn President Brendon Harrington said by awarding the money and a chance at employment, he’s hoping to help students circumvent the higher tuition prices of trade schools.   

“We’re trying to a create a pathway for local individuals to go to school free, to work with us, to get eating and living money and practical application of what they’re learning,” he said.  

Harrington said opportunities within the automotive industry have gone unnoticed, especially since electric and hybrid vehicles were introduced.  

“Our average technician makes over $100,000, so they can have a nice life without being in debt,” he said. “People think of being a mechanic in the old way, where it’s a very greasy, dirty job. But now, a car in today’s world is really more like your iPhone with wheels.” 

However, he warned today’s automotive education hasn’t kept up with the push toward electric transportation.  

“Current auto programs are all designed for the old-fashioned fixing of a transmission or changing oil,” he said. “The kind of person that is needed and successful as a technician has to have more sophisticated capabilities of problem-solving and understanding of software and advanced computer modules.”  

Harrington said this higher-caliber instruction is not just for advanced repair knowledge, but to ensure the safety of a shop and its employees.  

“You hit an [orange wire in an EV] when they’re hot, and if you survive, you’re going to be 30 feet away from the car,” he said. “Most people grew up fixing their car in their garage or with their dads. Now, you can’t do that. You can’t tinker with an EV at home.” 

According to Harrington, the internship could help supplement the EV instruction that aspiring technicians may miss in traditional classes.  

He said Autobahn Fort Wort is in it for the long haul.  

“We intend to do this for years,” he said. “It’s like running an advertisement you can’t just do it one time. You’ve got to run it for a long time. For this internship to work, we’re committed for the next 10 years.” 

Ben Cooper, a technician at Autobahn Fort Worth and a South Campus student studying to eventually teach automotive classes, said he hopes to bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and real-world application.  

“A lot of times technical programs focus heavily on the knowledge,” he said. “But then, technicians come into the shop and they don’t have any hands-on experience. This dealership group is expanding at a rate that is too fast for the amount of people that are coming in that are skilled.” 

Tracey Miller, department chair for automotive programs at South Campus, said the internship will allow students to familiarize themselves with the industry and its expectations.  

“We’re dealing with mostly 18, 19, 20-year-olds that have not worked or have very little work experience and don’t know how to conduct themselves in a professional setting,” he said. “By getting them into an internship, especially one with a mentor, it gives them a window into the professional world: how to show up on time, how to conduct yourself in front of customers and bosses, how to dress.” 

He hopes the scholarship would encourage a younger demographic to ditch the image of greasy manual labor and continue pursuing automotive careers.  

“The average age for technicians across the board has been creeping up for quite a while,” Miller said. “We’re going to hit a point where we lose a lot of technicians in a relatively short amount of time, with nobody to fill that gap. That’s been a problem that’s been growing over the last 15-20 years, and probably in the last five to 10 years the industry has started to take it pretty seriously.” 

Miller said for the majority of the program, the scholarship will determine whether students graduate with or without debt.  

“Most of our students are on financial aid, but it’s all in loans that they’ll have to pay back later,” he said. “The idea with this scholarship program is to get the students the money as they’re coming into the program out of high school, so they don’t have to have loans to pay for school.” 

TCC Foundation Executive Director Laurie O’Neal said Autobahn Fort Worth’s partnership motivates other businesses to follow suit, opening up similar opportunities for programs across the district.  

“These types of partnerships are changing the dialogue about what role community colleges can play,” she said. “Other industries can see themselves doing this. It models the way, but it’s also about that deep commitment to community, and how we are providing families ways for wonderful livings.”