To celebrate the future generation of Pros who are choosing skilled trades careers, the Lowe’s Foundation recently awarded a $1 million Gable Grant to SkillsUSA, the workforce development nonprofit for students.
Today, the partnership came to life on SkillsUSA National Signing Day as a record number of students signed their letter of intent to further their education or pursue skilled trades career pathways, including at Lowe’s stores in Charlotte, Chicago, Houston, Miami and San Diego.
Each store event featured a blue carpet runway to honor local SkillsUSA students as “Trades Stars” alongside SkillsUSA chapters, their families and future employers.
In Charlotte, one of those students is Jaime Torres, who just signed an employment offer from Swinerton Construction Company. He says the prospect of a stable career with no limits was a major factor in choosing the trades.
I just know I have a promised future of a long-lasting career. I know there's no ceiling, so I can keep moving up the ladder and just make new connections.
Keith Olson, a carpentry teacher at Independence High School in Charlotte, has been an advisor with SkillsUSA for three years, and he says watching the growth of the program and the students he teaches has been a rewarding experience, saying, “It's so cool to watch them come through my program and have it go from students who don't know skilled trades were an option or might not have been excited about it to seeing them transition into a career."
Jason Rutherford, Lowe’s Foundation board member and VP of Supply Chain eCommerce Operations, was on site to offer congratulations to the students embarking on their new careers and discuss the impactful collaboration between Lowe’s and SkillsUSA.
Partnering with like-minded organizations, including SkillsUSA, is a huge part of this commitment to shore up America’s workforce and infrastructure. These students have Lowe’s promise to celebrate our tradespeople, not just on National Signing Day, but every day.
Since 2023, the Lowe’s Foundation has awarded over $18 million in Gable Grants to 25 organizations offering innovative and scalable skilled trades training across the U.S. Through these grants, program participants are strengthening their skills across carpentry and construction, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and appliance repair.
The next grant application cycle for community-based nonprofits will run from August 1-31. To learn more, visit Lowes.com/Foundation.
