At Gary Crossley Ford, we are proud to support the National Hot Rod Association’s Youth and Education Services (YES) Program for the fifth year in a row. As a company that values science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, we believe the YES Program is a great way to show how these fields can be applied in real-world careers in the automotive industry.
The New Ford Tech program is aligned with the YES Program, and we see this as a great opportunity to attract and train the next generation of Ford and Lincoln automotive technicians. Ford participates in 15 YES events across the country, which take place on Thursday or Friday mornings before NHRA national races. These events offer a unique chance for high school and college students to learn about the automotive industry and interact with Ford and Lincoln dealers.
NHRA Funny Car driver and Gary Crossley Ford partner owner Bob Tasca III speaks at these events, sharing his experience in motorsports and business operations with the students. Ford dealerships and Ford-affiliated technical schools also attend the events to inform students about the training and skills needed to become technicians. In 2022, over 16,000 students across 13 cities attended YES Program events.
The demand for technicians is ever-growing, and it’s a rewarding career. As Robert Saunders, Estes Ford Service Manager in Indiana says, “If you have the proper education and training, then you have a job wherever you want to go. I promise you that if you pick up the phone and tell someone you’re board certified or master’s certified, then you will have a job. They will pay you to move and they might even put some money in your pocket in the process.”
At Gary Crossley Ford, and the entire Tasca Automotive group we proud to be a part of the YES Program, and we believe that the relationships have formed at these events over the past four years have resulted in many YES alumni being hired by Ford and Lincoln dealerships as technicians and for other roles. It’s a great way for Ford to connect with future generations of technicians and show them the opportunities that await them in the automotive industry.
