Did you know that it takes 12 hours for a series of robots to apply five coats of paint to a BMW vehicle and that, when completed, these layers add about 25 pounds to the vehicle? Folks who attended a special apprenticeship information session at Piedmont Technical College (PTC) on Feb. 22 learned this and more.

“Though it’s still very new, response to the BMW Scholars program has been enthusiastic so far,” said Chris Lipp, director of PTC’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

Earlier this year, BMW announced it was adding PTC as its fourth education partner (along with Greenville Technical College, TriCounty Technical College and Spartanburg Community College) offering an apprenticeship program in which qualified students attend class full time and work at BMW 20-25 hours per week. It’s an especially sweet opportunity for enrolled PTC students because the costs for tuition, books and health care benefits are covered, and apprentices earn an hourly wage for their shift work. To date, every Scholar since the program started in 2011 has been offered a full-time position with the automobile manufacturer.