Bluegrass Community & Technical College: BCTC Proud To Be Part Of Increasing Diversity In Engineering

Press release from Bluegrass Community & Technical College:

Apr 21, 2021

Published on Apr 21, 2021

New scholarship program to increase equitable access to engineering degrees for minority
students.

Partners talk about joining to promote diversity (YouTube).

Georgetown, Ky. - One of the world's largest automakers is teaming up with three institutions of
higher education in Kentucky to help change the face of engineering. Today, Toyota
announced a $1.7 million investment to increase opportunities for underrepresented
students and assist them in earning engineering degrees.

The program will provide full-tuition scholarships to female and minority students,
along with needed resources to earn an engineering degree from either the University
of Kentucky (UK) or University of Louisville (UofL).  Bluegrass Community & Technical
College (BCTC) is also part of the collaboration with students first acquiring a two-year
associates degree before enrolling in an engineering program in the commonwealth. 

"Building a stronger Kentucky will require deliberate and sustainable efforts to provide
equal access to quality education," said Susan Elkington, president, Toyota Motor
Manufacturing Kentucky. "This program will give more people a chance to build great
careers in fields like engineering.  Toyota is committed to providing resources, time
and knowledge to help build stronger communities in which we operate. We're thankful
for great education partners that have the same mission."

Beginning Fall 2021, 35 students over a five-year period will be selected to receive
full-tuition scholarships. The students will also be mentored by Toyota engineers
and participate in a paid co-op opportunity with the company earning $17 - $21 per
hour. Additionally, students will complete two to three co-op rotations that will
provide critical hands-on experience in multiple areas of the field.

"Toyota has been a long-time partner of UK since locating in Kentucky nearly 35 years
ago," said Rudolph Buchheit, UK College of Engineering Dean. "This is another example
of Toyota seeing a need and stepping up to do something about it. It's imperative
to increase gender and ethnic diversity among our faculty, staff and students."

Emmanuel Collins, dean of the University of Louisville's J.B. Speed School of Engineering
also highlighted the program's focus on increasing diversity and inclusion in engineering.

"There is critical shortage of women and minorities in the engineering workforce,"
said Collins. "Toyota's investment and partnership to help diversify our talent pipeline
perfectly aligns with the university's goals and we are grateful to be a part of this
collaboration."

Stephen Brennen, vice president of production engineering at PEMC, agrees that strengthening
the industry's talent pipeline and staying ahead of customer demands will require
new ways of thinking. "Not only for the continued growth and innovation of the field,
but also to help Toyota move forward as we work toward our mobility vision for the
future."

BCTC's provost, Greg Feeney echoed the others and added that "diversity creates rich
and productive workplaces and communities. We are pleased to join Toyota and our university
partners to create opportunities for students."

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than
60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through
our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships. 

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 36,000
in the U.S. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly
of more than 30 million cars and trucks at our 9 manufacturing plants, 10 including
our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

To help inspire the next generation for a career in STEM-based fields, including mobility,
Toyota launched its virtual education hub at www.TourToyota.com with an immersive experience and chance to visit many of our U.S. manufacturing facilities.
The hub also includes a series of free STEM-based lessons and curriculum through Toyota
USA Foundation partners, virtual field trips and more. For more information about
Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Media Websites:

• ToyotaNewsroom.com
• LexusNewsroom.com

This press release was produced by Bluegrass Community & Technical College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.