Donation reflects and supports shared values and goals in developing a diverse, inclusive automotive service workforce
ATLANTA, Feb. 3, 2024 – Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ), a leading global business services company that supports, protects and connects major consumer purchases, including automobiles, today announced the Assurant Foundation’s donation of $30,000 to sponsor the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Foundation’s Workforce Initiative, which promotes the value of dealership roles and facilitates access to educational resources.
Martin Jenns, executive vice president and president, Assurant Global Automotive, presented the contribution to Annette Sykora, chairwoman of the NADA Foundation Board of Trustees, and Jonathan Collegio, NADA senior vice president on the Live Stage at NADA Show 2024, hosted in Las Vegas this week. In his remarks, Jenns noted the importance of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the automotive retail and service industry.
Assurant’s previous contribution supported the NADA NUL Technician Apprenticeship Program, created by the NADA Foundation, the National Urban League (NUL), Urban League of Louisiana (ULLA), and Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association (LADA). The program supports apprentice service technician candidates through an 18-month program that includes college-level technical training, mentoring, and opportunities for placement and continued training at automotive dealerships.
“The demand for diverse automotive employees with high-tech skills continues to grow as new automotive technology, including electric vehicles, components and systems, evolves,” said Jenns. “We’re honored to be able to support the next generation of service technicians as they jump-start their careers and enter the automotive workforce.”
— Martin Jenns, Executive Vice President and President, Assurant Global Automotive
Pictured left to right: Jonathan Collegio, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, NADA; Annette Sykora, NADA Foundation Chairwoman; Melissa Tam, VP, Automotive Digital Technology, Assurant; Jeff Strickland, SVP, Assurant Dealer Services & Strategic Accounts; Gary Bosses, NVP, Assurant Dealer Services Sales; and Martin Jenns, EVP, President Assurant Global Automotive
The NADA Foundation’s Workforce Initiative was founded in 2018 to address the shortage of service technicians through promotion of the job benefits and improved access to resources about programs, scholarships, and opportunities. In recent years, the NADA Foundation has broadened the initiative to enhance recruitment of all dealership roles and within all departments. The centralized resources offer a brand-neutral tool for recruiting talent and sparking an interest in dealership careers.
“We are proud of the results we’ve seen from this initiative to date and grateful to our industry partners like Assurant that make it possible,” said Sykora. “Our workforce is our most important asset as dealers. The resources from this program help identify, recruit, train and retain talent throughout the dealership.”
Since 2019, the Assurant Foundation has donated more than $130,000 to the NADA Foundation. For more details, visit nadafoundation.org.
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About NADA
The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), founded in 1917, represents more than 16,000 light-vehicle and commercial-truck dealerships with 32,500 domestic and international franchises. New-vehicle franchised dealers are directly responsible for more than one million U.S. jobs.
About Assurant Global Automotive
Assurant Global Automotive is a leading global solutions provider in the automobile and commercial equipment industries. Automotive industry partners span manufacturers, large group and independent dealers, agents, third-party administrators, financial institutions, insurance providers, and vehicle technology companies. With over 50 years of automotive industry experience, Assurant protects 54 million motor vehicles in 19 countries by providing innovative solutions like vehicle service contracts, guaranteed asset protection, and ancillary products, while providing dealer performance management and training, participation options, and more. Assurant Global Automotive is also a market leader in protection products for the commercial equipment industry, with more than 30 years of equipment protection expertise. Assurant provides a full suite of protection products and services for equipment dealers and financial institutions supporting commercial equipment. These include extended service protection plans, physical damage protection, guaranteed asset protection, automatic insurance, portfolio protection, insurance tracking services and more.
About Assurant
Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ) is a leading global business services company that supports, protects and connects major consumer purchases. A Fortune 500 company with a presence in 21 countries, Assurant supports the advancement of the connected world by partnering with the world’s leading brands to develop innovative solutions and to deliver an enhanced customer experience through mobile device solutions, extended service contracts, vehicle protection services, renters insurance, lender-placed insurance products and other products.
Learn more at assurant.com.
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