Last year, the CNCDA Foundation relaunched its giving and fundraising efforts to support a new mission with a new leader and support staff. Kim McPhaul spearheads as the Foundation’s President, and Sonny Davey is the Program Coordinator. The new mission of the Foundation is dedicated to creating career pathways for highly skilled automotive service professionals throughout California.

The Foundation accomplishes its mission by connecting with the education community and youth organizations to build awareness and interest in auto careers and connect youth with training. Kim and Sonny also collaborate with California’s new car and truck dealers and automotive manufacturers to provide youth with a clear college and technician career path.

With over 1,400 dealerships in California and a staff of two, the Foundation relies on an amazing team of volunteers who bring their expertise in the automotive industry and education to serve on the Board of Directors and Workforce Development Advisory Board. Volunteers are critical to the success of the vision that the CNCDA Foundation will support California dealers by leading the way in training highly skilled professionals for today’s clean vehicle technology.

Running on grants, donations and commitment from California’s dealers, the CNCDA Foundation awards scholarships, connects students with mentor managers at dealerships throughout the state and is developing a Clean Vehicle Technician Apprenticeship. The current and ongoing need for skilled automotive professionals throughout California continues to rise. Last year, there were 5,792 unfilled positions for auto techs in the state, further proving that these jobs are in high demand and likely to endure regardless of the ups and down trends in the economy, more so now as new BEV models are hitting the market.

“Our Foundation helps students to get their foot in the door at a local dealership, where they can grow as skilled employees. We are thrilled to make young people who have a special mechanical gift aware that they have the opportunity to pick a rewarding career in an industry where they will be valued and have huge growth potential,” says Kim.

Upcoming events for the Foundation include four Automotive Technology Career Days held throughout the state between October 2023-April 2024. At these expos, dealers and manufacturers will get to connect with and engage thousands of high school and college automotive tech students and teachers, while showcasing their hottest new vehicles and technologies to get students excited about working with their brands. The Foundation is partnering with California’s metro associations to host the events and encourage dealers to attend, meet and recruit the best and brightest automotive students in California, and enroll students in their brand’s educational track.

If you are looking for ways to engage with the CNCDA Foundation or become a sponsor for Career Days, please visit www.cncdafoundation.org.