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Workforce Development Initiatives

  • For the last five years, the American Honda Foundation (now Honda USA Foundation) has supported 8 Southern California nonprofit educational organizations providing tools, technologies, and support to young men of color in the Greater Los Angeles area. Beyond creating greater interest in STEAM subjects for involved students, teachers report that the Honda STEAM Collaborative also improved student behavior and self-esteem.
  • Honda and the Indiana Next Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Center (IN-MaC) partner to create new opportunities for middle and high school students to discover new ways to explore design thinking, problem solving, technology, and creative skills.
  • Honda manufacturing plants around the country host an annual Manufacturing Day event to give students valuable insights about careers in the auto industry.
  • The American Honda Foundation committed $2.5 million over five years to the Honda STEAM Collaborative, a cradle-to-college and career pipeline for young Black and Latino men in the Greater Los Angeles area.
  • Students in the work-based learning program at the Upper Valley Career Center in Piqua, Ohio can pursue a pre-apprenticeship at Honda’s engine plant in Anna, Ohio, with the possibility of a full-time job after graduation.
  • Honda and Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio developed the Modern Manufacturing Work Study program to give students hands-on experience with necessary job skills.
  • Honda and The Ohio State University celebrated 20 years of collaboration in research, philanthropy and talent development.
  • The American Honda Foundation committed $2.5 million over five years to the Honda STEAM Collaborative, a cradle-to-college and career pipeline for young Black and Latino men in the Greater Los Angeles area.
  • Honda launched its “Driving the Legacy ” initiative that builds on Honda’s more than 30-year partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which has impacted over 300,000 students and provided more than $14 million in grants. The initiative not only affirms Honda’s commitment to HBCUs but also aims to attract top talent to Honda careers.
  • Honda partners with Ohio State University via a mentorship program to encourage the development of the next generation of women engineers. 

  • The Mazda Foundation has awarded nearly $500,000 in grants to 11 organizations to help address food insecurity and some of its many root causes, particularly equitable access to education and job opportunities for underserved young adults in high school and beyond.
  • The Mazda Foundation awarded a $150,000 grant to FUSE Studios, a high-quality and results-driven educational program developed through Northwestern University that aims to transform STEAM learning in schools across America.
  • The Mazda Foundation awarded a $150,000 grant to AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a proven college and career readiness program that assists underserved students with study skills, academic guidance, career coaching, and college placement. The Mazda Foundation’s award allowed AVID to bring its program to Madison City Schools in Alabama.
  • The Mazda Foundation supports Vehicles for Change (VFC), an organization in Halethorpe, Maryland that empowers families with financial challenges to achieve economic and personal independence through car ownership and technical training. The Mazda Foundation’s funding supports the Full Circle Auto Repair and Training program – an employer driven, paid internship, social enterprise program designed to provide auto mechanic training to individuals with multiple barriers to employment, including many who have recently been released from prison.
  • The Mazda Foundation awarded funding to Bracken’s Kitchen in Garden Grove, California to support its Culinary Training Program, which provides at-risk young adults the introductory skills needed for employment in a professional kitchen. Through hands-on participation in a working kitchen, students learn the skills needed to prepare, cook, and serve actual meals with menus that fluctuate around the organization’s rescued food inventory.
  • The Mazda Foundation has awarded nearly $500,000 in grants to 11 organizations to help address food insecurity and some of its many root causes, particularly equitable access to education and job opportunities for underserved young adults in high school and beyond.
  • The Mazda Foundation awarded a $150,000 grant to AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a proven college and career readiness program that assists underserved students with study skills, academic guidance, career coaching, and college placement. The Mazda Foundation’s award allowed AVID to bring its program to Madison City Schools in Alabama.
  • Under Mazda’s broader Vehicles for Change initiative, which aims to empower families facing financial challenges to achieve economic and personal independence through car ownership and technical training, the Mazda Foundation supports the Full Circle Auto Repair and Training program – an employer driven, paid internship, social enterprise program designed to provide auto mechanic training to individuals with multiple barriers to employment, including many who have recently been released from prison.

  • Mazda-Toyota Manufacturing (MTM) collaborated with the Limestone County Career Technical Center to create a new course in advanced manufacturing. MTM donated instructional equipment to the technical center, and Calhoun Community College provided instructors for the course. MTM representatives also participate in the school’s advisory council.
  • Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM) and Drake State Community & Technical College in Huntsville, Alabama developed a new advanced manufacturing apprenticeship program. Students will gain on-the-job experience at MTM while attending classes and working towards an associate’s degree in Applied Science in Industrial Maintenance.
  • MTM donated $750,000 to support STEM-related programs to encourage and motivate students to pursue a career in the manufacturing field. The company allocated $500,000 to the Huntsville/Madison Chamber Foundation to start a career exploration online platform to help highlight careers in manufacturing to students, build skills, and connect job seekers to opportunities. The remaining $250,000 was split between six school districts in Madison, Limestone, and Morgan counties to advance STEM or career technical programs that align with advanced manufacturing. 
  • MTM announced the recipients of their Inaugural Grant Fund on June 30, 2022. The total investment for this first grant fund will be $180,000 to ten organizations in North Alabama. Some of those organizations provide workforce development programming, others support education and quality of life in the region.

  • Staff members at Mitsubishi Motors R&D of America (MRDA) participated in leadership training with Leader Dogs for the Blind. This event, which had them training guide dogs, helped staff better understand how to work with a team and be leaders themselves.

  • Nissan has long supported the YMCA Latino and Black Achievers Programs, which help Tennessee students navigate through a variety of after high school options including college, military, trades, or direct entry into the workforce. Nissan has donated $435,000 over the last ten years and afforded students the opportunity to interact with Nissan employees to better understand opportunities in the automotive industry and beyond.
  • Nissan and the Tennessee Board of Regents joined forces to build the Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Murfreesboro’s Smyrna Campus and Nissan Training Center. The 162,000-square-foot facility with a total investment of $45.75 million offers programs to equip Tennessee students and Nissan employees with skills for successful careers in advanced manufacturing and automotive technology.
  • As part of its 27-year partnership, Nissan awarded the SAE Foundation a $100,000 grant to implement and expand the A World In Motion® (AWIM) program, which builds a foundation upon which students can achieve success and brings inspiration, accessibility and equity to STEM education.
  • Nissan, in partnership with Rutherford Chamber of Commerce, provides an externship program for K-12 grade teachers where Nissan invites teachers to their manufacturing plant to work alongside their employees. The program helps teachers to fully understand the skills and competencies Nissan requires at their organization. This opportunity provides teachers with a clearer understanding of what happens in the manufacturing plant and the numerous job opportunities that are available for their students.
  • Nissan donated 12 engines to Copiah-Lincoln Community College’s automotive technology program in Mississippi.
  • Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), in collaboration with Bridgestone and Nissan, created a Mechatronics Engineering degree program.
  • Nissan has long supported the YMCA Latino and Black Achievers Programs, which help Tennessee students navigate through a variety of after high school options including college, military, trades, or direct entry into the workforce. Nissan has donated $435,000 over the last ten years and afforded students the opportunity to interact with Nissan employees to better understand opportunities in the automotive industry and beyond.
  • Nissan partners with 100 Black Men of America to host an annual three-day program to educate and inspire African American high school students. This event includes career-building workshops and interactive presentations at Nissan’s North American headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.

  • Subaru added Franklin County Technical School in Massachusetts as a partner site for Subaru University (Subaru-U). Subaru-U is a partnership among Subaru, Subaru retailers, and educational institutions to address the increasing need for automotive technicians at retailer service centers by providing students with training and education on Subaru vehicles and systems.
  • Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) has partnered with Vincennes University and the Purdue College of Technology to create the Advanced Internship in Manufacturing (AIM) program to help bridge the gap between post-secondary educational opportunities in Indiana and highly skilled job opportunities in the manufacturing industry. After the completion of the internship, students are eligible to continue their education and earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology from the College of Technology, with SIA covering the cost of the degree.
  • The Subaru Technical Training Center in Lafayette, Indiana provides on-the-job training and partners with local educational institutions to expand employees’ access to higher education.
  • Subaru and Rainbow PUSH Coalition announced a new scholarship program for students in Camden, New Jersey who are interested in pursuing a future in automotive technology. The Subaru University Scholarship for Automotive Excellence will equip six students per year with financial support for an Associate Degree at Camden County College, as well as internship opportunities.
  • Subaru sponsors the annual Manufacturing Week for K-12 students in Lafayette, Indiana to learn about job opportunities in manufacturing.
  • Since 2015, Subaru has partnered with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to donate over 277,600 science books to schools in communities across the country.
  • As part of Subaru’s commitment to developing a diverse talent pipeline, a number of strategic relationships have been developed with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and diverse membership groups including the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) and the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA).
  • Subaru has launched the “Subaru University Scholarship for Automotive Excellence” to enable underrepresented Camden, New Jersey residents to receive an associate’s degree in Automotive Technology and be trained as automotive technicians.
  • Subaru partners with the Women of Color in Automotive Network (WOCAN), which aims to support high-potential women of color advance in their careers within the automotive industry.

  • For more than 35 years, Toyota’s Technician and Education Network (T-TEN) has developed and placed talented, factory-certified technicians in many automotive dealerships across the U.S. Today the T-TEN program continues to evolve as it launches alternative-powered vehicle maintenance training with partner schools across the country.
  • Toyota partnered with the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Bluegrass Community & Technical College to offer $1.7 million in scholarships to increase opportunities for underrepresented students and assist them in earning engineering degrees.
  • Toyota Employee Resource Groups worked together to direct a total of $475,000 in grants to 48 nonprofits in 17 communities across the U.S., addressing critical needs such as food insecurity, healthcare access, economic self-reliance, youth mentoring, job training, and education.
  • Toyota created the “Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education” (FAME) program to develop skilled manufacturing talent. Around 400 partner companies in 16 states participate in the program, in which students earn a two-year Advanced Manufacturing Technician degree while working part-time. In 2019, Toyota transitioned operation and stewardship to the Manufacturing Institute, the workforce and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers.
  • In partnership with community colleges, vocational schools, and more than 1,400 dealerships, Toyota began the Technician Training & Education Network (T-TEN). This program provides hands-on training and education for automotive technicians.
  • Toyota partnered with the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Bluegrass Community & Technical College to offer $1.7 million in scholarships to increase opportunities for underrepresented students and assist them in earning engineering degrees.
  • Toyota Connected’s Women in Technology (WiT) program aims to develop the next generation of women leaders in computer technology. The program also hosts events to discuss the importance of diversity in the workforce and how women in tech are essential for growth.
  • Toyota sponsors the Young Women LEAD conference for high school girls in Northern Kentucky, which focuses on leadership, education and development of girls. 
  • Toyota has an employee resource group called ToyotAbility, that supports employees and families with physical, invisible, temporary, and permanent disabilities including neurodivergence. This initiative also provides designated workspaces for employees with disabilities to work comfortably and effectively on the manufacturing floor. 
  • Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (TMMI) formed a partnership in 2017 with ARC of Gibson County, a public agency that has been supporting people living with disabilities since 1963. Its training focuses on career skills such as resume writing and onsite job coaching and through this alliance, TMMI was able to create a framework from which workers could develop the skills and experience to transition to full-time employment and more autonomy within the manufacturing facility campus. This has expanded further to other Toyota manufacturing facilities including in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Texas. 
  • Toyota Employee Resource Groups worked together to direct a total of $475,000 in grants to 48 nonprofits in 17 communities across the U.S., addressing critical needs such as food insecurity, healthcare access, economic self-reliance, youth mentoring, job training, and education.

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