Thanks to another successful fundraising drive within the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Minnesota (AASP-MN) membership, the association will be awarding scholarships to select students enrolled in post-secondary automotive (mechanical or collision) programs. Scholarship awards will be $1,000 per student.

Recipients must be entering the second year of a two-year NATEF-certified automotive program in the fall of 2014. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of industry representatives, with consideration given to scholastic achievement, education and career goals, financial need and written recommendations. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2014.

Applications can be submitted online at www.automotivescholarships.com/AASP-MN or downloaded from the association’s website, www.aaspmn.org. Online submissions give students the opportunity to compete for several different awards, including those offered by the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium Scholarship Committee and over 20 other automotive aftermarket organizations and companies. Specific requirements for each organization’s awards can be found at www.automotivescholarships.com.

The Education Fund was established in 2002 to provide financial resources to support automotive students, enhance automotive programs and raise awareness of career opportunities in the independent automotive service industry. Since that time, nearly $146,000 has been distributed directly to students enrolled in automotive programs through the Association’s scholarship program and Skills USA competition.