Paige Miltenberger's Path to Specialization
Paige Miltenberger developed a passion for cars early, restoring classics with her father and grandfather from childhood. In St. Louis, local technical high school programs focused on modern vehicles and general automotive repair, lacking the niche training for classic cars she sought. McPherson College filled this gap as the only U.S. institution offering a bachelor's degree in automotive restoration. Miltenberger, now a sophomore and top student, missed only one test question in her Engine Rebuilding course this semester.
My technical high school that I went to, it was all new stuff and just general automotive stuff. And it wasn't that niche category of classic cars that I knew I wanted to work on.
Program Overview and Industry Demand
McPherson College, a 138-year-old liberal arts institution near Wichita, enrolls about 175 students in its auto restoration major, which celebrates 50 years next year. The program addresses an industry shortfall, with TechForce Foundation projecting 85,581 new autoworkers needed annually, totaling over 350,000 by 2028. Restoration represents a specialized subset, preserving heritage skills absent from typical shop classes.
I knew I liked working on cars. I knew I liked working on old cars specifically. And there's no other program like this one. So, in my head, this is the only place I could have possibly gone.
Core Skills and Training
Students master comprehensive restoration techniques, from engine rebuilding and panel painting to welding joints and sewing upholstery. Amanda Gutierrez, vice president for automotive restoration and engineering, emphasizes these vanishing crafts: woodworking, hand metal fabrication, and seat sewing. Beginners enter trim labs without prior sewing experience but develop precision essential for high-caliber vehicles.
We consider the skills that we're teaching heritage skills. So they are not things that students are learning in shop class, if there's even a shop class in their school anymore.
Job Placement and Graduate Outcomes
Noah Durham, a senior specializing in upholstery, graduates in May with a full-time trimmer position at a Pennsylvania shop focused on European classics, earning over $70,000 annually. McPherson boasts a 95% job acceptance rate within six months, with alumni in shops, museums, private collections, auction houses, and as business owners. Upholstery demand persists as shops seek specialists for luxury marques like Ferraris, Bentleys, and Jaguars.
Almost every shop, when they come looking for people or asking for people to do upholstery. A lot of people aren't doing that anymore. And it's become very specialized, especially on really high-caliber cars like our Ferraris, Bentleys, Jaguars.
Immunity to Automation and Hands-On Focus
In an AI-driven era, restoration resists automation due to irreplaceable tactile feedback, such as hand-turning engines to verify fit. Professor Curt Goodwin directs students to physical manuals in the library, as many rare engine specs remain undigitized. Currently, 23 vehicles undergo restoration on campus, including rarities like a 1956 Austin-Healey 100M Le Mans and 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300S Cabriolet; completed cars fund the program or join the school's touring fleet.
AI is not replacing this. I talk about that when we're assembling an engine, and you're turning that engine over by hand and feeling that everything is spot on, AI can't replace that.
Expansion Plans
The school anticipates doubling in size over the next decade, expanding facilities and introducing programs in automotive digital media and engineering. While compensation and security attract students, passion drives participation in this demanding field.
