are partnering to provide $100,000 in tuition grants. IGNITE, or Inspiring Girls Now in Technology Evolution, works to encourage girls to enter Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields.
Girls and people identifying as female that are juniors or seniors in high school can apply to receive a grant ranging from $2000 to $25,000, to be used at UTI campuses across the country.The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that women represent only one in four people who work in STEM fields. UTI says employers are looking to hire a more diverse workforce.
BLS data also shows there are 100,000 new job openings a year for automotive, diesel, and collision repair technicians. "As you look at BLS data and where things are going, there’s a number of these positions, whether they are in auto, or diesel, or welding, everything across the board in the skilled trades space," said Alanna Vitucci, spokesperson for UTI. "We’ve seen that currently with the chip shortage, there are so many organizations struggling to hire and service those older vehicles that people are keeping and driving longer.