Piston Jobs Program:
Building the Workforce That Will Sustain Car Culture
The Challenge
Across the collector car world—from restoration shops and museums to private collections—one issue rises above all others: the shortage of skilled technicians.
As experienced craftsmen retire, too few young people are ready to take their place. Combined with normal turnover and steady industry growth, the need has become critical: by 2028, the collector car industry will require more than 7,000 new technicians* to sustain its workforce.
And yet, even if every auto restoration student graduated tomorrow, it still wouldn’t make a dent in the national shortage. This isn’t just a workforce issue—it’s a business continuity risk that threatens restoration shops, private collections, the collector car hobby, and the preservation of automotive craftsmanship itself.
By 2028, the collector car industry will require more than 7,000 new technicians to sustain its workforce.
*Based on an estimated 3,000 restoration shops employing 24,000 technicians with a 6.5% annual replacement rate and a 1% annual workforce growth rate.
The Vision
The Piston Jobs Program is currently being developed to close this gap and complete Piston’s mission of fueling the careers of future technicians.
Building on the proven success of our Piston Scholarships, which open doors to auto-tech education and hands-on training, the Jobs Program will take the next step: connecting graduates with real career opportunities in restoration shops, private collections, and specialty businesses across the country.
This initiative will create America’s first comprehensive workforce development pipeline dedicated to the collector car industry—helping young enthusiasts turn their education into lifelong careers.
The Solution
When launched, the Piston Jobs Program will integrate four essential components that together form a direct bridge from education to employment.
Career Placement Infrastructure
A national job board connecting Piston Scholars and qualified applicants with internships, apprenticeships, and full-time positions.
Career Readiness Resources
Comprehensive job-search and interview support, professional development tools, and ongoing mentorship to help graduates succeed in the workplace.
Industry Employer Network
A vetted database of employers—restoration shops, museums, and specialty businesses—committed to developing new talent and supporting young technicians.
Needs-Based Career Grants
One-time grants to help overcome financial barriers to career starts, including internships, job-start expenses, and apprenticeships.
Program Goals & Impact
The Piston Jobs Program can’t solve the workforce shortage alone—but it will make a measurable difference in the sustainability of the collector car industry and in the lives of the young technicians who will power its future.
By building a bridge from education to employment, the program will help restoration shops, private collections, and specialty businesses find the skilled talent they need—while giving Piston Scholars real opportunities to launch meaningful careers.
Within its first five years, the Jobs Program aims to:
- Place skilled technicians in the collector car workforce, scaling to 500 each year.
- Achieve an 80% job placement rate for Piston Scholars
- Ensure 80% of placements earn at or above the median income
- Build a network of 500+ participating employers nationwide
- Establish measurable industry benchmarks for employment, retention, and mentorship
A comprehensive workforce development initiative dedicated to fueling the future of collector cars.
Why It Matters
The Piston Jobs Program ensures that scholarship investments in auto-tech education lead to real, lasting careers. It strengthens small businesses, protects decades of knowledge, and gives young enthusiasts a pathway to career success.
For the collector car industry, this program will deliver what’s urgently needed:
- A reliable pipeline of new technicians ready to work
- A framework for mentorship and retention
- A measurable return in industry sustainability and economic vitality
The shortage of technicians isn’t just a workforce issue—it’s a business continuity risk that threatens shops, collections, and the preservation of automotive craftsmanship itself.
Our Donor-Business Partnership Model
How Donors, Businesses, and Students Build the Pipeline of New Talent
The success of the collector car industry depends on collaboration. The Piston Jobs Program is designed to unite donors, businesses, and students in one powerful partnership that keeps craftsmanship alive and creates real career opportunity.
Donors Fuel Opportunity
Every scholarship and program grant removes financial barriers and opens doors for young enthusiasts to access auto-tech education and career support. Donors invest in the next generation of technicians who will preserve the cars and craftsmanship they love.
Businesses Provide Careers
Restoration shops, specialty garages, and private collections play a vital role by offering real jobs, hands-on learning, and mentorship from master technicians. Together, they form the foundation of a sustainable workforce.
Students Drive the Future
With access, training, and opportunity, Piston Scholars turn passion into profession—launching careers that keep the collector car community thriving for decades to come.
Fueling the Future Together
This partnership model makes the Piston Jobs Program more than a career pathway—it’s a movement to protect the future of car culture by ensuring the skills, stories, and spirit of automotive restoration are passed to the next generation.
I [want] to let you know that I landed my dream job at Tony’s Muscle Cars! Thank you for the scholarship and helping me to obtain my degree. I couldn’t have [done] it without the support from the Piston Foundation.
Zach Wiernusz, 2023 Piston Scholar
Partner With Us
Creating the Piston Jobs Program will take industry-wide commitment.
Piston invites enthusiasts, collectors, corporate partners, and foundations to join us in building the first national workforce development pipeline for the collector car industry.
Together, we can:
- Connect education to employment for young technicians
- Strengthen restoration shops and small businesses
- Ensure car culture and craftsmanship continue to thrive
Join us in fueling the future of car culture.
Piston Scholar Stories
Victoria Bruno Is Turning Her Hobby Into a Career
In the “olden” days it might have surprised most people in the collector car world to meet a woman who had the same passion as they had for restoring cars and their engines. But, these are different times. Barriers have been knocked down and Victoria Bruno is part of a new generation of skilled technicians.
Piston Scholar Sean Whetstone is Dreaming of Collector Cars
Many of us are inspired at an early age to pursue a dream career. Fewer of us turn our inspiration into a reality. Sean Whetstone, 22, of Fort Collins, Colorado, is one of those individuals—a first generation “car guy” who knew his calling long before he purchased a 1966 Corvair to restore at the age of 17.
Jacob Koehn Shifts from Finance To a Restoration Career
Not all college students are in their teens or early 20s. Some return to higher education after years at “regular” jobs that don’t satisfy their need for personal accomplishment. Jacob Koehn took that turn into auto restoration and a Piston Scholarship helped him.
Piston Scholar Edwin Buiter Steps into Car Restoration
Edwin Buiter, of Ireton, Iowa, is an inaugural recipient of a Piston Scholarship and a student at McPherson College, at just 20 years old, has a collection of four classic cars and proudly and happily works on each of them. While he doesn’t have the budget of most classic car owners, he says, “cars are my passion and I make sacrifices in my life in order to own and maintain my vehicles.”
Piston Scholar Ethan Heck is Off to the Races
21-year-old Ethan Heck is a student at Lanier Technical College in Gainesville, Georgia, enrolled in the Motorsports Vehicle Technology program. While most recipients of the inaugural Piston Scholarships focus primarily on acquiring the skills to restore and/or work on classic and older cars, Ethan “stumbled across videos of stage rallying on the Internet,” at a young age and instantly knew he wanted to be a racing mechanic.
Piston Scholar Zoe Carmichael Loves Her Volkswagen
Zoe Carmichael, 27, is on the verge of turning her knack for repairing her beloved Volkswagen into a restoration profession. She is a non-traditional student at McPherson College and one of the inaugural recipients of the Piston Fund Scholarships in 2022 for students who wish to pursue hands-on careers in the collector car industry.
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