Calling all high schoolers interested in manufacturing: Mike Rowe, one of our favorite representatives of skilled trades and manufacturing in the United States, has come up with a program to offer scholarships to high schoolers looking to get into the trades.

Mike Rowe’s foundation, mikeroweWORKS, and the Universal Technical Institute (UTI), a technical education training provider, . Offering over , and even more scholarships to other local schools through a general program (new partnerships are being added regularly), the scholarship program could be a great opportunity for those looking to get into the skilled trades.

What do you need to do to apply? Well, it’s actually pretty easy (and fun):

To qualify for a mrW/MTI Scholarship, you have to be a high-school senior who is willing to learn a skill. You’ll need to write an essay. You’ll need to provide attendance records and references. You’ll also need to submit a short video and post it on Facebook. In short, you’ll need to make a case for yourself, because the public is going to vote on who gets the money. And the money at stake is significant – on average, $15,000 per scholarship. And something else – you’ll need to sign  (Skills & Work Ethic Aren’t Taboo).

MikeroweWORKS is still accepting applications for 2014. For a chance to get a free trade education and the opportunity to work a great job without student debt, this is a great route!

While the mikeroweWORKS scholarship program isn’t yet available in Nebraska, for students willing to relocate for a year or two, this is a great option. And even for students not willing to relocate, there’s nothing to say that this great program couldn’t expand even more into other states, including Nebraska, in the near future. It’s picked up a lot of speed already, and the best is yet to come!

We’re all for efforts to spread the skilled trades and manufacturing throughout the United States, and encourage any interested parties to take a look. And at the very least, we recommend taking a look at the –it really does a great job of articulating what Mike Rowe and mikeroweWORKS are all about.

—

Photo credit: