RPM Foundation grant supports intensive apprenticeships with guest pro instructors at the Gilmore Garage in the summer of 2022.
Gilmore Garage Works
Hickory Corners, Mich. – As a new extension of its established Gilmore Garage Works technical education program, The Gilmore Car Museum announced a series of Gilmore Garage Works Summer Apprenticeships available for recent high school graduates (ages 18-22) who are committed to pursuing a hands-on technical career in collector vehicle restoration, customization, fabrication, automotive technology, and engine building. All Summer Apprenticeships will take place inside the Gilmore Garage Works shop on the campus of the Gilmore Car Museum, in Hickory Corners, Michigan, located near Kalamazoo – midway between Detroit and Chicago.
The new Summer Apprenticeships are supported by a grant from the RPM Foundation, a not-for-profit dedicated to cultivating the next generation of automotive restoration and preservation craftsmen and women.
Interested students from across the nation are encouraged to submit an application online at:
https://gilmorecarmuseum.org/ggw-summerapprenticeship
- Six total student apprentices will be selected for each session
- Apprenticeships are provided at NO COST to students: course fee, lodging, meals, and modest travel assistance will be covered by Gilmore Car Museum and RPM Foundation
- Apprentices will be selected based on quality of application materials and demonstration that the program will benefit their career aspirations
- Apprentices will work side-by-side in the shop with professional guest instructors and Gilmore staff
- Each program will run Wednesday through Saturday, and will include at least 20 hours of intensive hands-on instruction in the shop, participation in Gilmore’s Wednesday Night Cruise-In, and in the scheduled Gilmore car show taking place that Saturday
- Wednesday, June 1: Application deadline
- Monday, June 6: Applicants notified of selection
- Monday, June 20: $ 75 refundable deposit and paperwork due to confirm placement
2022 Gilmore Garage Works Summer Apprenticeships:
Chassis Fabrication, Welding, and Suspension Design
July 20-23, 2022
Guest Instructors:
- Josh Whitford, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, An ITW Welding Company https://www.millerwelds.com, and
- Brook Craft, 1932 Ford Chassis Builder at Brooks Craft, Plainwell, MI
Custom Car Building
July 27-30, 2022
Guest Instructor:
- Mike Boerema, owner/builder at Gas Axe Garage, St. Johns, MI http://www.gasaxegarage.com
Model A Hot Rod Building
August 17-20, 2022
Guest Instructor:
- Matt Murray, owner/builder at Iron Trap Garage, Boyertown, PA https://www.youtube.com/c/IronTrapGarage
For specific questions about the Summer Apprenticeships, please contact:
Amy Everhart Perry
Director of Development and Membership, Gilmore Car Museum
aperry@gilmorecarmuseum.org
(269) 953-9011
For general questions about the museum, visit www.GilmoreCarMuseum.org, call (269) 671-5089 or email info@gilmorecarmuseum.org
About Gilmore Car Museum
The world-renowned Gilmore Car Museum – North America’s largest auto museum with more than 400 vehicles on display — is located midway between Chicago and Detroit, just 20 minutes north of Kalamazoo, or 45 minutes south of Grand Rapids. The museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, whose mission is to tell the history of America through the automobile. Learn more at GilmoreCarMuseum.org.
About Gilmore Garage Works
Gilmore Garage Works is an innovative automotive education program at the Gilmore Car Museum that matches adult mentors with high school students who have an interest in classic cars, performance cars, motorcycles, and engines, but may not have access to tech or trade skills education curriculums offered within their schools. The program is made possible thanks to generous support from the Baum Family Foundation.
The Gilmore Garage Works program is an ideal platform to reach the next generation of automotive technicians, skilled tradespeople, and enthusiasts. If you’d like to volunteer as a guest instructor, or get your company, brand, tools or equipment involved in Gilmore Garage Works educational programming, please contact Gilmore Car Museum Executive Director Josh Russell at JRussell@GilmoreCarMuseum.org or (269) 953-9036.
About RPM Foundation
The RPM Foundation is an educational grant-making program of America’s Automotive Trust. The RPM Foundation safegaurds the critical skills necessary to restore and preserve collector car vehicles by supporting hands-on training and engaging the next generation of craftsmen and women. Visit: www.rpm.foundation for more information.
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