Innovators Scholarship

With the global embrace of electric vehicles, Gateway Bronco expanded its auto tech internship program to include an EV focus and awarded a pair of scholarships to McPherson College and the Carroll Shelby Automotive Program at Northeast Texas Community College. Gateway Bronco CEO Seth Burgett made the announcement at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale on January 23rd.

“Gateway Bronco added Electric Broncos to our line of classic Ford Broncos in 2021,” said Burgett. “The response was so strong that we doubled our initial forecast. This positive reaction to our EV program reinforced the importance of training young people to operate in this new environment, which led to an expansion of our Innovators Scholarship program.”

Introduced in 2021, Gateway Bronco’s Innovators Scholarship recognizes and rewards aspiring automotive restoration and repair students with scholarships and internships at two renowned automotive technology schools. The scholarships and corresponding internships benefit auto restoration programs at McPherson College and the Carroll Shelby Automotive Program.

The Gateway Bronco Innovators Scholarship awards $5,000 to offset living expenses during a Summer internship at the company’s production facility outside St. Louis. A scholarship is awarded every Spring to a student at each school who demonstrates commitment to the profession. The 8-week internship assignments at Gateway Bronco are aligned with college curriculum and recipients can attend marquee automotive events and meet industry stakeholders. This year, the interns will work on Gateway Bronco’s new line of EV’s.

The Carroll Shelby Foundation is a key supporter of the Carroll Shelby Automotive Program, which teaches the operation and repair of the eight Automotive Service Excellence areas in the National Technicians Certification Master Technician Program. The college plans to add EV training to their curriculum.

“We’ve supported the Carroll Shelby Automotive Program at Northeast Texas Community College for many years and recently awarded $15,000 in scholarship funding to the winning high school team at the North Texas Automobile Dealers Auto Tech Competition,” said Aaron Shelby, co-President of the Carroll Shelby Foundation. “We appreciate the efforts of Seth Burgett and his team at Gateway Bronco to nurture the next generation of auto industry leaders through this school. We’re excited for the young people who earn the scholarship and internship as it will be a very special opportunity to help shape the future of automaking.”

Interns will also visit Shelby American in Las Vegas, home of the car company.

“Gateway Bronco has earned a reputation as a respected leader in the restoration and modification of original Ford Broncos and trucks,” said Gary Patterson, president of Shelby American. “We look forward to sharing our ICE and EV programs with their auto tech interns in Las Vegas. Hopefully, this visit to Shelby American will inspire them to push the envelope and build meaningful careers in the auto industry.”

The program also includes students from the Automotive Restoration Technology Program at McPherson College. It is the only program in the USA that offers a bachelor’s degree in Restoration Technology.

Plans are underway for the 2023 scholarship as Gateway Bronco helps create the next generation of car builders.