DANVILLE — ThyssenKrupp Presta Danville will donate $20,000 to the Danville Area Community College Foundation to support student scholarships, officials announced Monday.

The donation will be given over a five-year period and fund a total of four scholarships a year. Scholarships will be available for the current academic year.

"We believe it is important to promote education in manufacturing and make young people aware of good employment opportunities in the community," said Carlos Dias, president of ThyssenKrupp Presta Danville. "We have been a corporate citizen in the Danville community for 18 years, and this initiative is another way to show our commitment."

Tracy Wahlfeldt, DACC Foundation's executive director, said college and foundation officials are grateful to the company for "these much-needed scholarships in what is often an overlooked but thriving field of study in this area. The inclusion of an internship component is priceless in that it gives the students practical experience in a manufacturing environment. ThyssenKrupp has shown itself to be a valuable community partner in workforce development."

To qualify, students must be enrolled in manufacturing or technical fields such as auto mechanics, electronics, maintenance or engineering. Recipients may be either full- or part-time students and must be available for an internship with ThyssenKrupp.

DACC's educational opportunities in manufacturing begin with the College Express dual-credit program for high school juniors and seniors and include more than 10 associate degree and certificate programs, as well as customized training for incumbent employees through the Corporate Education Division.

Headquartered in Danville since 1993, ThyssenKrupp Presta Danville LLC is part of the components technology business area of ThyssenKrupp Group based in Essen, Germany. It is a leading manufacturer of assembled and ground camshafts for the automotive and heavy- and light-truck markets.

In late June, officials announced the company is making a $38.8 million investment at its local manufacturing facility, which will create up to 100 new hourly and salaried positions. The investment includes the purchase and installation of new assembly lines, grinding machines and double lobe centers, necessary because of increasing customer orders from major original-equipment manufacturers.

All new equipment is scheduled to be installed by December 2012.

For more information on the scholarships or to apply for one, call the DACC Foundation at 443-8843 or go to its website at Foundation@dacc.edu.