MOORESVILLE, NC — A $50-million commitment over the next five years to prepare 50,000 people for skilled-trades careers through grants to community and technical colleges and community-based nonprofits has been announced by the Lowe’s Foundation, the nonprofit initiative founded by home-improvement chain Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
“With the skilled-trades industry facing a labor crisis, the Lowe’s Foundation is now poised to help train tens of thousands of qualified skilled tradespeople, giving each of them the opportunity to build a rewarding career and make lasting impacts in communities across the country,” said Janice Dupré, Lowe’s executive v.p./human resources and chair of the Lowe’s Foundation, which estimated that nearly 550,000 new skilled tradespeople will be needed to meet demand in this year alone.
“We are bringing our network, our expertise and our resources to address this critical need and help ensure that the next generation of (skilled labor) has the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the demands of our modern world,” Dupré said.
The national Lowe’s Foundation Gable Grants Program is currently accepting applications for two-year grants to help build a sustainable infrastructure of training programs to cultivate more job-ready tradespeople and address the skilled trades labor shortage in fields like electrical, plumbing, HVAC, construction, appliance repair and carpentry, the Mooresville, NC-based company said.
Additional information can be obtained by visiting www.Lowes.com/Foundation.