Students preparing for a career in auto upholstery are eligible to apply for the 2018 SEMA Memorial Scholarship or Loan Forgiveness Program.
New this year, high-school and part-time students can apply. “SEMA is dedicated to activating the next-generation automotive workforce by providing financial support and career resources to students enrolled in various high schools, universities, colleges and/or vocational schools in the United States,” said SEMA Chairman-Elect Tim Martin.
The SEMA Memorial Scholarship will give dozens of awards ranging from $2,000 to $3,000. A top award of $5,000 will go to the most promising candidate.
Of course, one of the scholarships is reserved specifically for students pursuing a career in auto upholstery. The scholarship is offered in memory of Nat Danas, founder of the National Association of Auto Trim Shops and Auto Trim and Restyling News.
SEMA is also accepting applications for its loan-forgiveness program, which offers financial awards to employees of SEMA-member companies who are paying off a loan for a completed program of study at an accredited university, college or vocational/training program in the US — such as Wyotech or McPherson College.
Since 1984, SEMA has granted more than $2 million in scholarships to students. How awesome is that?
Interested students should apply by March 1, 2018 by visiting SEMA.org/scholarships. For more scholarship opportunities, check out AutomotiveScholarships.com.
What kind of college course do you take too learn a manual trade? Kind of laughing, kind of serious here.
The auto upholstery industry is actually quite diverse. On the manufacturer level, there are industrial designers who design interiors for automakers, engineers who create them, textiles experts who develop new fabrics and find innovative uses for old ones, managers who oversee the entire process, etc.
Of course, at the shop level, trimmers must have all these skills. They must be able to design, fabricate and trim interiors all by themselves.
The “manual trade” skills trimmers need range from metal fabrication to sewing. And with interiors becoming increasingly computerized, trimmers also need a firm understanding of how they function digitally. After all, you wouldn’t want someone taking apart your Tesla dashboard with little to no understanding of how to piece it back together, would you?
It’s not an exaggeration to say much of what trimmers do is reverse-engineering.
That’s not all, to run a successful business, shop owners and managers need to have solid business skills. That means an understanding of accounting, taxes, insurance, inventory management, etc.
Some trimmers enroll in vocational schools or colleges to learn these skills. Others learn through apprenticeships. Many do both, as there’s no right or wrong way to learn.
This industry is not easy. It’s no place for dummies.
I get it, I really do, but I don’t support this. Instead of kids paying to learn this why can’t we just have an apprenticeship where we pay them while they learn? NO debt involved.