PHOTO COURTESY MERCURY RACING

Mercury Racing has opened the application period for its scholarship programs. Excellence in Trade is a $5,000 scholarship for a high-school student or college freshman near the company’s headquarters in Fond du Lac, Wisc., pursuing a career in skilled trades.

“This started six years ago when our plant at racing won a safety award and we decided to use the money to fund a scholarship,” Kim Bresser, associate brand manager at Mercury Racing, told Trade Only Today. “It was so well-received that we put it into our budget every year.”

Additionally, for students in the five counties in Indiana that border the Impact Institute, Mercury Racing provides two $1,500 scholarships for students in a Marine Service Technology Program. Once a student completes the two-year training program, he or she is a certified Mercury Marine technician.

“It’s just so cool to see the dealers that we’re putting out there being utilized and come back to Mercury or Mercury Racing,” said Bresser.

Mercury Racing also provides funds for a scholarship at the Great Lakes Boat Building School.

Each year, the Excellence in Trade program gets 10 to 15 applicants. The Impact program usually has about 25 to 32 students.

Click here to apply for the scholarships.