Lowe's Foundation invests in skilled trades
The Lowe's Foundation today announced nearly $8 million in Gable Grants to a second cohort of community and technical colleges. Since awarding its first grants in 2023, the foundation has assisted in expanding skilled trades career pathways through its growing network of 35 community colleges and nonprofits in rural and urban communities across 27 states.
"With enrollments rising at vocationally focused schools, these community colleges are blossoming arenas for entrepreneurship and economic mobility," said Janice Dupré, Lowe's executive vice president of human resources and chair of the Lowe's Foundation. "Each college has a clear, inspired vision for closing the trades gap in its community, and we're pleased to welcome them to our larger movement."
From funding new skilled trades facilities and instructors to accreditation programs, the grants will support carpentry and construction, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and appliance repair training. These grants build on the foundation's first cohort of community college Gable Grants announced in 2023.
The new Lowe's Foundation Gable Grants support the following community colleges:
Baton Rouge Community College (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) will expand its skilled trades and develop a residential plumbing training program while establishing a state-of-the-art Construction Trades Outdoor Learning Lab. The lab will simulate real-world construction scenarios, allowing students to deepen their understanding of theoretical concepts while honing practical skills.
Central Maine Community College (Auburn, Maine) will expand its programming in residential electrical construction. The grant will support new tools, machinery and lab space for programs providing construction-based certificates and degrees, as well as short-term workforce training.
Central Piedmont Community College (Charlotte, North Carolina) will significantly increase its capacity for skilled trades training and construction-related certifications. Infrastructure support includes renovating lab space and bringing mobile learning cottages to other campuses and into the community. The mobile learning cottages will remove transportation barriers and bring new training opportunities in construction, electrical, HVAC and plumbing training throughout Charlotte.
Community College of Baltimore County (Baltimore) will enhance its skilled trades programing with an expansion of the college's HVAC and building maintenance programs. This includes modernizing labs and equipment and expanding course offerings to equip students with the skills they need to succeed in today's job market.
Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation and Maricopa County Community College District (Tempe, Arizona) will partner to enhance skilled trades programs at three community colleges: Mesa Community College, South Mountain Community College and Rio Salado College. Resources will be allocated for new faculty, recruitment, stipends and upgraded training facilities to accommodate workforce demands.
Midlands Technical College (Columbia, South Carolina) will expand its Building Construction Technology Program through new training space, faculty support, tools and equipment. MTC is the comprehensive technical college for the Midlands of South Carolina, serving over 25,000 students annually with an economic impact over $1 billion.
Mountwest Community and Technical College (Huntington, West Virginia) will expand its Apprenticeship Readiness and JumpStart Pre-Apprenticeship programs that provide dual credit to high school students. The college will also launch a training program for students to earn OSHA Forklift Certifications, offering six courses in its first year.
Southeast Community College (Lincoln, Nebraska) will expand its UPWARD prison education program to include construction, electrical/electromechanical, HVAC and plumbing. These programs will be launched at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. They will allow participants to earn credentials in multiple career programs and return to their communities empowered to be meaningfully employed and help meet the skilled workforce needs in these industries.
Valencia College (Orlando, Florida) will launch an accelerated plumbing program designed to help individuals in Central Florida complete training in this high-demand field. Program graduates will earn nationally recognized industry certifications to meet the region's skilled trades workforce needs.
Wilkes Community College (Wilkesboro, North Carolina) will address the local housing shortage by enhancing its residential Building Construction Technology program. It will also introduce an Electrical Systems diploma this fall and expand lab space to increase student capacity.
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (Fitzgerald, Georgia) will build a 53-foot mobile construction trailer and hire an instructor to provide educational training in a variety of residential and commercial trades to graduating high school seniors, adult learners, and individuals enrolled in Georgia Department of Corrections education programs. The 53-foot trailer will remove transportation barriers for hundreds of students and host an "industry ready" program to help combat the construction workforce shortage in rural south Georgia.
The nearly $8 million investment is the latest in the Lowe's Foundation's five-year, $50 million commitment to support the training of 50,000 people for skilled trades careers. Since 2023, the Lowe's Foundation has awarded over $25 million in Gable Grants to expand innovative and scalable skilled trades training across the U.S. Last month, the Lowe's Foundation announced a partnership with Metallica's foundation, All Within My Hands, to benefit hundreds of skilled trades students at five community colleges.
The next Gable Grant application cycle for community-based nonprofits will run from Aug. 1 to Aug. 31.
