By day , Scott Loeser works from home for a company based in Hong Kong , selling stationery and school supplies to American big-box retailers . In the afternoon , he rides a bus about 30 minutes from St. Paul , Minnesota , to a studio where he makes small leather goods by hand in the hopes of one day selling them for his own company . Before he can do that , though , he figures he needs to know how to use a sewing machine and make a scalable product . `` I want to be the guy selling stuff to Asian companies instead of selling for them , '' said Loeser , 35 , whose background is product development , sales and retail branding . `` I want to make a name for myself , but even if I have a product that 's successful and great , how cool would it be if I could also say that I sew my own product ? '' To get closer to his dream , Loeser enrolled in a `` sewing and production specialist '' course at Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis , where he 'll learn the basics of sewing in an industrial setting and the production process . The program includes on-the-job training and a paid internship with a company in the Twin Cities region that could lead to a full-time job . Upon completion of the 22-week program , which began in January , he 'll earn a certificate in industrial sewing through Dunwoody . It may not sound like the sexiest gig ever , but Loeser is one of 18 students who see the program as a ticket to a brighter future . Ranging in age from 18 to 64 , their reasons for joining are as varied as their backgrounds . Some are lifelong Midwesterners , but nearly half are legal immigrants from as far as Somalia , Myanmar and Mexico . Some of them want to make use of a skill they utilized in their homeland or find a steady job that keeps them off their feet ; others , such as Loeser , see a path to entrepreneurialism . Made in America markets create communities of like-minded consumers . That the class exists is a testament to the growing demand for a trade considered nearly obsolete in the last decades of the 20th century . The last time Dunwoody offered a cutting and sewing class was in the 1940s before it was dropped because of a lack of industry demand , said Debra Kerrigan , dean of workforce training and continuing education . Fast forward six decades and the demand for a skilled cut and sew industry has returned to Minnesota , home to about 8,000 manufacturing companies , many in desperate need of a workforce trained in trades lost in an era of outsourcing and automation . Read more : The high-tech return of high school shop class . `` Dying trades are coming back to life , '' Kerrigan said . `` Companies are looking for people with the right skills and people want to recareer and get back into the work force , and they want to do it quickly . '' Birth of a movement . Sure , there are online sewing tutorials and workshops at community centers or crafts stores for hobbyists . Colleges also offer degrees in fashion design and manufacturing and apparel technology . But organizers of the course say its specific focus on skilled sewing certification makes it unique -- and cheaper for students since it 's not a course for credits . The genesis of the course also makes it unique . Representatives from companies that historically manufactured in Minnesota got together in January 2012 and realized they had a shared need for skilled labor that could work with a variety of materials , from clothing and shoes to medical supplies , tarps , banners and HVAC vents . Spearheaded by Jennifer Guarino , CEO of luggage maker J.W . Hulme , the coalition moved fast once it identified common goals , reaching out to Dunwoody to create a curriculum suiting their needs and LifeTrack , a nonprofit human services organization that helps job seekers . Thus was born the Makers Coalition , which bills itself as `` a hands-on movement to rebuild the industrial sewing heritage of America '' through the collaborative efforts of businesses and industry , educational institutions and nonprofits . The coalition represents a variety of sectors : established accessory and apparel brands like J.W . Hulme , Red Wing and Allen Edmonds ; independent designers of bridal collections , dance recital costumes and lingerie ; cut and sew facilities and makers of industrial sewing machines . The story of J.W . Hulme , a heritage brand that has been making bags and accessories in its St. Paul facility for more than 100 years , mirrors the experience of other coalition members . The brand relies on a skilled workforce that 's rapidly approaching retirement age in a time when it has begun to see dramatic growth , thanks to swelling brand awareness and interest in American-made goods . Made in America : The short list . `` The more we 've grown , the more we 've found it very , very difficult to find skilled labor to stay at capacity , '' Guarino said . `` We lost a whole generation of skilled labor , so we have to jump-start training again . We 're the guardians of our trade and , if we do n't , it will go away . '' The coalition has a nonprofit arm that provides partial funding for scholarships and materials for the course . Additional funding for scholarships , which 16 of the 18 students receive , came from a $ 75,000 grant awarded to LifeTrack from the Greater Twin Cities United Way 's WINGs Giving Community . Beyond training a skilled workforce , Guarino says the larger vision for the coalition is to create a cut and sew industry in the Twin Cities that compares to those in New York and Los Angeles . But to do so , it needs to convince people that these are n't dead-end jobs -- that they have opportunities for advancement , especially as current workers retire . A chance to start fresh . The program has its share of creative types in their 20s and 30s looking for alternatives to corporate life . Rhea O'Connor , 34 , already has a full-time job in Web design . She decided to enroll in the program 's night classes so she 'd have a skill that would allow her to potentially change careers . `` I want to actually be able to sew in way that I can produce something from the production standpoint instead of just creating a one-off , '' she said . Other students are approaching middle age and looking for a chance to start fresh . Marcus Cook , 47 , has held his share of jobs in telecommunications and the service industry ; in darker days , he served time in prison for robbery . But , that 's all behind him , he says . Now , he 's engaged and has monthly bills , child support and a daughter looking to go to college . He sees the course as a ticket to getting his life back on track in an industry that appears to be growing . Plus , after more than a decade working on his feet in kitchens , it satisfies his desire to be creative in a job that wo n't require him to stand all day . `` I 'm still 20 years from retirement so I took this as an opportunity to learn a trade that will give me another notch in my belt and keep me employed , '' he said . `` I do n't see this industry becoming totally automated and robotic ; there will always be a human application to it . '' Scott Loeser also enjoys making things with his hands , which is why he got into leather-making in the first place . And , if growing consumer interest in the `` made in USA '' trend translates to a real revival of American manufacturing jobs , he wants to be at the forefront . Running his own successful leather goods business is the ultimate goal -- he already has a name for it , Marked . But , in the short term , he simply wants to learn a marketable trade that interests him . `` The desire for made in USA is out there , the problem is there 's no one to make it , which is a need this program is filling , '' he said . `` I want to be part of a movement that makes factory work cool and sexy again . ''
Sewing and cutting class draws job-seekers from various backgrounds . Class organized in response to Minnesota businesses in need of skilled workforce . `` Dying trades are coming back to life , '' school rep says . Student : `` I want to be part of a movement that makes factory work cool and sexy ''