In a new partnership with Guild Education, Lowe’s Home Improvement Hardware Store is launching a program that provides employees with financial assistance for trade skill certification.
“Track to the Trades” will offer upfront tuition funding up to $2,500 to complete certification for skills such as carpentry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and appliance repair. The program also includes coaching and placement opportunities for full-time pre-apprenticeships in Lowe’s contractor network.
On March 1, Lowe’s is launching a pilot program in Charlotte, N.C.; Denver, Colo.; Pittsburgh, Penn.; and Richmond, Va. The company hopes to expand it nationwide by the end of 2018.
“The trade profession is a high-demand, high-opportunity field for the next generation workforce, and today, there is a massive unmet need,” said Jennifer L. Weber, Lowe’s chief human resources officer. “With Track to the Trades, we are providing unique career alternatives for our associates while also building a pipeline for the next generation of skilled trade workers, allowing us to better meet the demands of customers while creating long-term educational benefits and economic opportunity for our people.”
Lowe’s realizes that not everyone is fit for college and is providing its employees with an another route to success — one that has become more lucrative than ever before.
The country’s construction industry has been booming, with new projects totaling $1 trillion in November, but it has experienced a major shortage of skilled workers that has curbed its growth. More than 1.5 million residential construction workers quit their trades after the recession. The average age of today’s builders hovers around 50.
To make matters worse, many high schools no longer offer vocational education, and don’t seem to encourage it after graduation, even though these trades offer high wages, stability, and other unique benefits.
Lowe’s says its Track to the Trades program is a “first step toward rebuilding the skilled trades workforce” and “infusing pride back into trade professions that are vital to society.”
The home improvement company has embraced President Trump’s job creation agenda, filling the void of blue-collar workers who are integral to our country’s economic growth. It has also become a success story of the administration’s tax reform efforts.
Earlier this month, Lowe’s announced that it would be sweetening its benefits package and offering a one-time bonus up to $1,000 for its hourly workers after the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
Following the president’s lead, Lowe’s is trailblazing the path to a more robust economy.
Brendan Pringle (@BrendanPringle) is a freelance journalist in California. He is a National Journalism Center graduate and formerly served as a development officer for Young America’s Foundation at the Reagan Ranch.
