CONCORD, NH – On April 29th, Governor Kelly Ayotte joined members of the New Hampshire Department of Safety to unveil a new donation program to provide engines from retired state vehicles to high school automotive programs.

“This new program is a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of our state employees and the strong partnership with our community colleges,” said Governor Ayotte. “Donating these engines will give students the opportunity to learn new skills and give them a head start in pursuing a good-paying career. I thank the mechanics at the Department of Safety who helped make this possible, and Lakes Region Community College and the New Hampshire Auto Dealers Association for facilitating this partnership. We’ll continue to build the workforce of tomorrow in our state.”

Department of Safety Automotive Garage Manager Ryan Stevenson and his wife, Kim Stevenson, an instructor at Lakes Region Community College, devised the program to help address a shortage of engines needed for demonstrations and practical skills development at local high schools.

"Providing vehicle engines to high school automotive programs is more than a donation — it's a strategic investment in the State’s workforce development,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Robert L. Quinn. “By streamlining our internal processes to repurpose engines for educational use, we reduce waste, improve operational efficiency, and support hands-on learning. These donations will also provide students with real-world experience, inspire creative problem-solving, and help cultivate a new generation of skilled automotive technicians.”

Rather than crushing the engines when vehicles go offline, the Department will provide engines to youth automotive programs at no cost to the school, helping to support career and technical education and recruit more young professionals to the automotive industry.

The first schools to receive these engines include Huot Career & Technical Center at Laconia High School, Manchester School of Technology in the Manchester school district and the Richard W. Creteau Regional Technology Center-Automotive Technology in the Rochester school district. As more engines become available, the Department will coordinate with Lakes Region Community College and the New Hampshire Auto Dealers Association to facilitate additional donations at high schools across the state.

Any school that may be interested in receiving an engine donation can send a request to: [email protected].

Video from April 29th’s press conference is available for media use at https://youtu.be/isDnm10QQ9U.