GAAS PR 19-06 
Margaret Beck, MEMA
919-406-8828 

Online Applications Available Now for 2007 GAAS Scholarships: Deadline Is March 31

September 13, 2007 Research Triangle Park, N.C. – The deadline to apply for a Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) scholarship – awarded to students planning an aftermarket career – is Saturday, March 31, 2007.

The application process is now entirely electronic through the GAAS scholarships Web site, www.automotivescholarships.com.

The GAAS scholarship program presented 159 awards in 2006, including 15 students in Canada. Since its inception in 1997, the GAAS scholarship fund has presentedmore than 1,150 scholarships to students pursuing automotive aftermarket careers.

The annual investment to help develop future aftermarket industry leaders is funded through proceeds from the annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium. This two-day program brings together numerous industry executives and examines the issues and trends affecting the automotive aftermarket industry and influencing its future. The 2007 event is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, May 8-9, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Chicago, Ill. Details are at www.globalsymposium.org.

The scholarships are available to students in two-year technical college programs and vocational schools and four-year college programs. To be eligible for a GAAS scholarship, applicants must be enrolled full-time in a college-level program or a NATEF (National Automotive Technician Education Foundation) accredited automotive technical program. Graduate programs and part-time undergraduate programs do not qualify.

The GAAS scholarship also is unique in that recipients can receive two financial grants: one while in school to assist with tuition and an equivalent grant awarded to scholarship recipients who graduate from their program and show proof of employment as technicians in the automotive aftermarket for at least six months after graduation.

The GAAS program is a joint professional education effort of the Alliance of State Automotive Aftermarket Associations (ASAAA), Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), Automotive Industries Association (AIA) of Canada, Automotive Parts Rebuilders Association (APRA), Automotive Service Association (ASA), Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA), Motorist Assurance Program (MAP), Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), Tire Industry Association (TIA), and University of the Aftermarket.

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