INDUSTRY CELEBRATES SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
The Motor Vehicle Industry of Manitoba is calling on aftermarket businesses to provide more support to young people looking to build careers in automotive trades across Canada.
The organization was founded in 2002 by Don and Joyce Sobering to celebrate 55th anniversary of Sobering Auto Electric Ltd., the full-service automotive centre the couple owned and operated in Winnipeg. It provides financial assistance to young people building careers in various automotive trades—including collision and automotive refinishing—through its Technicians of Tomorrow scholarship program.
“During its first year, we gave out two $500 scholarships and I guess things snowballed,” says Joyce Sobering. “This year, we handed out 34 of them, bringing our 23-year total to 357.”
Today, the awards are each worth $1,500 -- with the funding earmarked for tuition, tools, books and other expenses related to education. The competition to secure them is tough. This year, the MVIM’s selection committee considered about 100 applications. Each submission included long-form written statements provided by candidates, reference letters and academic transcripts.
“There were so many impressive applications. It is never easy to make these decisions,” Joyce laments. “We’re a bit different from some other organizations because we allow students to apply year after year. If we want good people to enter these trades, it’s vital for us to support them throughout their training.”
Joyce notes that several repeat recipients have gone to Skills Manitoba, Skills Canada and Skills World events. “I remember Ashley Gale Weber—who represented Canada in automotive painting at World Skills in Abu Dhabi -- was a five-time recipient.”
The MVIM’s scholarship program is supported by several memorial funds that honour individuals who have made significant contributions to Manitoba’s automotive industry.
The Adolphus McDonald Memorial Fund was established to honour its namesake’s lifelong commitment to training and the automotive repair sector after his death in 2005.
The Joe and Geraldine Rewucki Memorial Fund honours the legacy of a family’s fourgeneration involvement in the motor vehicle industry and its ongoing commitment to training tomorrow’s technicians.
The Susan J. Scott Memorial Fund, established by friends in 2023, continues the legacy of an entrepreneur who believed wholeheartedly that investing in people is always worthwhile. The Bob and Norma Struth Memorial Scholarship honours a couple who delivered more than 50 years of quality automotive service to the Killarney and Ninette communities while giving back countless volunteer hours.
Additionally, the Don and Joyce Sobering Family Fund was created in 2012 by the MVIM board of directors to honour the organization’s founders and their commitment to the industry and scholarship program promotion.
“Each of these awards have an endowment fund behind them to allow them to carry on indefinitely.”
Sobering adds that the MVIM’s efforts would not be possible without the support of numerous individuals and organizations. “We’re entirely volunteer based. Our only revenue stream is through sponsorships.” Manitoba Public Insurance, the Manitoba Used Car Dealers Association, the Automotive Trades Association, the Automotive Recyclers of Manitoba have each been long-term supporters of the MVIM.
“Automotive businesses have a duty to address the challenge of getting and keeping young people interested in automotive careers. Supporting programs like this is vital for the industry at large.”
