At this year’s SEMA Show, we are turning customization into a live, hands-on experience. Attendees will be able to use the Ford Custom Garage 3D configurator onsite to design their dream Ford Bronco with Ford Accessories and Ford Racing Parts in our inaugural Ford Custom Garage Ultimate Build Competition. Then, six Washtenaw Community College (WCC) students will bring the winning design to life on the show floor, building the Bronco live in our booth before it is revealed on the final day of the show.

That show-floor build is the headline moment — and it is also the reason this program matters. Together with WCC, we created a semester-long experience that connects students to real vehicles, current tools, industry leaders, and the business of vehicle customization, giving them a role on one of the biggest stages in the automotive aftermarket.

At Ford, building the future of the automotive industry means investing in more than vehicles. It means investing in the people who will build, customize, service, and improve them. Our Ultimate Build at SEMA makes that investment visible, turning a classroom partnership into a public demonstration of student skill, creativity, and career potential.

A Semester of Learning, Access and Hands-On Work

Across eight weekly sessions from September through October, my Ford colleagues and our industry partners showed students how ideas move from concept to customer — and introduced the careers that make that work possible.

Our Ford Speaker Series covered the aftermarket and dealer business, product development, design, hands-on customization, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) personalization, the business behind Ford Customization and marketing for SEMA. Students heard directly from professionals across design, engineering, accessories, operations, and marketing.

We also loaned two Bronco SUVs and gave tools to the class, which made these lessons tangible. With guidance from instructors and working professionals, students inspected, diagnosed, disassembled, installed, and problem-solved on real vehicles — the kind of experience that connects classroom learning to the work happening every day across the industry.

The Ford Custom Garage Ultimate Build at SEMA

At SEMA, our Ford Custom Garage Ultimate Build invites attendees to take part in the process. Using an onsite 3D configurator, they can build their dream Ford Bronco. A panel will select 10 finalists, the public will vote for the winning design, and WCC students will build it live in our booth before revealing the completed Bronco to the public on the show’s final day.

The live build gives students a national stage, but it also gives them a demanding real-world assignment. Working on a compressed timeline, the students will draw on a semester of technical training and conversations about product development, design, personalization, business, and marketing.

SEMA is the capstone, not the whole story. The real value is in the preparation that gets them there — the technical practice, the exposure to working professionals and the confidence that comes from contributing to a vehicle thousands of people will see at SEMA.

“At Ford, building the future means investing in the people behind our vehicles, not just the vehicles themselves.”

Matt Simpson, Executive Director of Ford Customization

Why We Are Investing

Our country faces a significant skilled-trades gap. According to a new report, “The Alliance for America’s Skilled-Trades: A National Report,” supported by BlackRock, Carhartt, Ford, and Google, more workers in the United States are aging out of skilled-trades jobs than are entering. Data shows that 24% of the trades workforce nationally is 55 or over and nearing an exit, while just 11% of workers are under 25. 

Many young people value hands-on careers but do not always know what opportunities exist or how to enter these fields. This program helps close that distance by combining instruction, equipment, industry exposure, and a national platform where students can demonstrate their skills.

At Ford, we cannot close that gap alone, but we can work with strong educational partners to put vehicles and resources in students’ hands and connect training to real customer and business needs.

The six students were selected through a competitive application process, and they bring interests ranging from collision repair and refinishing to electrical systems, performance upgrades, custom fabrication, and mechanical engineering. They represent a broader WCC learning community that participated in the semester’s classes, vehicle work, and speaker sessions.

The winning Bronco will show more than how a Bronco can be customized. It will show what students can accomplish when they have access to real vehicles, current tools, relevant instruction, and working professionals who can help connect their skills to future careers.

Building What Comes Next

At Ford Customization, and across the entire Ford Customer Service Division, we believe the customer relationship does not end when someone buys a Ford; it is just the start of the journey to make it their Ford. The relationship continues through the parts, accessories, service, and expertise that help owners make their vehicles work better for their lives.

Ford Custom Garage is one expression of that work, making personalization easier through Ford-engineered, tested and warranty-backed packages — but skilled people bring those packages to life. Our WCC partnership connects both sides: donated Broncos and tools support instruction, guest lecturers explain the work behind customization, and SEMA gives students a chance to apply their skills in public.

When the completed Bronco is revealed, the most important result will not only be the vehicle itself. It will be the learning behind it: new skills, professional relationships and a clearer view of the careers open to these students.

They are why we are investing in this program. They represent the talent and craftsmanship our industry needs and what is possible when education and industry work together to create sustained access to the skills, people, and opportunities that turn potential into a career.

Meet the Student Builders

Six Washtenaw Community College students will bring the winning Ford Custom Garage Bronco design to life at SEMA. Meet the emerging automotive professionals behind the build.

Matt Simpson is Executive Director of Ford Customization