The Next Generation of Collector Car Technicians Will Be at the Cavallino Classic

Bringing Young Folks Into The Industry

The Piston Foundation’s mission is to bring more young people into the trades of the collector car industry. Across the industry, there is a shortage of skilled workers. With only 1 graduate technician entering the workforce for every 20 job openings, every shop can talk about the difficulty of finding qualified technicians to hire. 

At the same time, young people with the interest, talent, and skill to be collector car technicians are unaware of the rewarding career opportunities the industry offers. The Foundation is working to solve these problems through its scholarship and apprenticeship programs.

Piston Scholars at the Cavallino Classic

In 2022, the Piston Foundation awarded scholarships to its inaugural class of Piston Scholars, each of whom are studying in an automotive technology program with the goal of building a career in vehicle restoration. Three of these ten impressive young scholars will join the Foundation at the Cavallino Classic 2023 to participate in the event and share their experiences with the collector car community. 

Concorso d’Eleganza

Piston Scholars will shadow teams showing cars in the Concorso d’Eleganza for a behind-the-scenes experience of the premiere Ferrari concours. 

Sunday Sport & Classic

Scholars will attend the Sunday Sport & Classic and walk the car show with car collector volunteers who can share career advice and guidance.

Skilled Trades Panel Discussion

Piston Scholars will be panelists in a live discussion titled, The New Wave: Everything You Don’t Know About The Next Generation of Collector Car Technicians. Our scholars will be joined on the panel by industry professionals who know the challenges of finding and training skilled trade talent.

The young workers the industry needs today didn’t grow up with junker cars to work on, so they don’t have the hand-skills that Baby Boomers naturally had. But, they have grown up with online access to more car knowledge than any generation before them and that gives them different strengths.

Everything You Don’t Know About The Next Generation

“Every generation falls in love with cars, but the way that happens is different for each,” says Jeff Mason, President of the Piston Foundation. “So when trying to attract young workers into the collector car industry we’ve got to recognize that difference.”

“Baby Boomers built the industry from the growth of auto manufacturing and the hot rodding scene. The best technology of their day was mechanical. My generation, Gen X, learned about cars through magazines and tinkering in the garage. Gen Y Millennials all went to college and became car enthusiasts but not technicians.”

 “And today’s Gen Z high school and college age workers have never known a world without the internet, so their experience with cars is centered around digital things. For them, real-life, hands-on experiences with cars are powerful and engaging.” 

“The young workers the industry needs today didn’t grow up with junker cars to work on so they don’t have the hand-skills that Baby Boomers naturally had. But, they have grown up with online access to more car knowledge than any generation before them and that gives them different strengths.”

“During the live discussion we’re presenting at Cavallino, we’ll talk about generational differences that affect the workforce and unpack the myths about bringing young workers into skilled trade careers. This is the first discussion panel on workforce development in the collector car industry. I think it’s going to start a lot of conversations in the car community.”

The Cavallino Classic Shares The Piston Mission

The Cavallino Classic shares the mission of the Piston Foundation and strongly supports career opportunities for aspiring technicians. 

Maria Homann, North America Senior VP Sales and Marketing with Canossa, said, “We are glad to have the Piston Foundation at Cavallino Classic because their work is critical to car enthusiasts who want to continue to enjoy collector cars. The Piston Foundation operates at a scale that the automotive industry needs in order to connect young men and women with a rewarding career. There are potential specialists out there today who need the Foundation to remove financial barriers keeping them from acquiring the skills that will make them highly sought-after employees at the best shops in the country.”

Piston is one of several sponsored charities at this year’s Cavallino Classic. Each charity benefits from the support of the Cavallino Foundation created by Luigi Orlandini, Chairman of Canossa and Cavallino. 

“One of the very first tasks I set myself was to increase the charitable contributions of the Cavallino Classic, to continue supporting the organizations we have already helped in previous years, and to also launch some new initiatives,” said Orlandini. “As the lucky father of three kids, I strongly believe that the younger generation is the most important part of our future, and young people deserve our help to seize their opportunities in life. I also wanted to support the community of Palm Beach, the beautiful town that is such an important part of the success of the Cavallino Classic.”

The Piston Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that serves the needs of the car enthusiast community. “We appreciate the continued support of the Cavallino Classic,” says Robert P. Minnick, CEO and Founder of the Piston Foundation, “They are an important and valued partner and we are excited to join them at this year’s event.”

Meet the Next Generation at the Cavallino Classic

The Cavallino Classic will take place at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach Florida on January 26th–29th, 2023. This year’s event will celebrate 100 years of the 24hrs of Le Mans and the history of Ferrari at the race. For tickets and information visit www.cavallino.com. 

Join the Piston Foundation on Saturday afternoon on the awards stage for the first discussion panel on workforce development in the collector car industry, The New Wave: Everything You Don’t Know About The Next Generation of Collector Car Technicians.

Stop by the Foundation’s tent near the VIP lounge to meet our scholars and learn how you or your business can support career opportunities for the next generation of collector car technicians. For more information visit www.pistonfoundation.org.