Icahn backing program to increase interest in auto technical careers

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Icahn Automotive Group L.L.C. is backing a new program designed to encourage more men and women to pursue viable careers in the aftermarket automotive sector through partnerships with technical schools, apprenticeships, internships and continuing education opportunities.

Dubbed "Race to 2026," the program addresses Icahn Automotive's concerns that the automotive aftermarket is facing a serious technician shortage in the coming years.

During a presentation Feb. 19 at Universal Technical Institute's (UTI) NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, Icahn Automotive said it will offer scholarships, tuition reimbursement and apprentice programs and create internship programs and job placement opportunities to support the program.

Citing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Icahn — which is active in the auto aftermarket through its Pep Boys auto service chain and AAMCO and Precision Tune Auto Care franchise businesses — said the automotive repair industry will need nearly 46,000 more technicians by 2026 to meet anticipated demand.

"Icahn Automotive is stepping forward to invest in the future of our businesses and our industry by helping promising technicians develop the skills necessary to be successful," Icahn Automotive Group CEO Dan Ninivaggi said.

"This industry offers young people from all backgrounds the opportunity for attractive, challenging and rewarding careers. We want to be a catalyst for changing the way the automotive service industry connects with, trains and supports tomorrow's professional technicians."

Brian Kaner, president of service for Icahn Automotive Group and Pep Boys, said: "We're at an inflection point in the automotive industry. We're facing a technician shortage at a time when demand has never been higher. Over the past several decades, vehicles have become highly computerized while we allowed the disinvestment in technical education and steered a whole generation toward four-year degrees and crippling student debt.

"Now, the need for service is increasing as people keep their cars longer and fleet populations grow, and the national conversation about the skilled trades is peaking as parents and students realize that technical training is again, as it always has been, an excellent first step to a successful career."

In any given year, Icahn said, there are as many as 75,000 job openings in the segment, due in large part to the retirement of technicians who benefited from broadly available vocational education programs. While this demand is on par with other fields, technical training and related career assistance for those interested in the skilled trades has not kept pace.

"We're passionate about showing tomorrow's technicians just how bright the future can be," Mr. Kaner said. "From learning in attractive classrooms and labs to working in today's service bays — which are sleeker than ever and filled with the latest diagnostic tools and technology — these are not their grandfathers' auto shops.

"Our hope is that, by providing robust career opportunities, we will ensure an expertly trained technician is ready to provide superior customer service in every one of our bays, every day, and that in turn we positively impact that technician's life and the overall industry."

During the event at UTI, Icahn Automotive and UTI unveiled an instructional car that has an iconic '26 as its number, opened two branded classrooms with the latest educational resources as well as inspiring messages such as "Find the tools you need," "Find your own path" and "Find out how far you can go."

During the UTI event, Icahn Automotive awarded a $2,500 scholarship to Jonathan Fanstill, a student enrolled at UTI Mooresville. The scholarship is the first in a new program that will award $30,000 to 12 students annually and the company also plans to accept students into an internship program later in the year.

Icahn Automotive plans to establish similar, sponsored learning facilities at Alfred State College of Technology in Alfred, N.Y., and UTI and Lincoln Tech locations in Arizona, Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.