How Lowe’s Is Investing $50 Million to Build the Next Generation of Tradespeople

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There was an an individual who

went through one of their original

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training programs, which at that

time was focused on plumbing.

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She found them on Facebook and before

that she had been working what she

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would call a job with really no career

trajectory, and she didn't love it.

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So she graduated from the plumbing

program and then she became an

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apprentice and worked towards her journey

Woman's license, which I was at her

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graduation for that about a year ago.

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She became a property manager of a

high rise in downtown Charlotte, and

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she owns her own home through Habitat.

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You talk to her, she has got

family members signed up.

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She'll tell anyone this is

the best career that there is.

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Hi, I'm Andrew Brown.

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You're listening to the Lost Star of the

Skilled Trades Podcast, a show that shines

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the spotlight on careers in the skilled.

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That are high paying, honorable,

rewarding, and fulfilling.

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The trades are the backbone of the

economy that keep us running, and without

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them, our world would cease to exist.

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Today we have a special guest, Betsy

Conway, director of the Lowe's Foundation.

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Betsy, welcome to the show.

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Thank you, Andrew.

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Looking forward to it.

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I was thinking, I just

came back from Texas.

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There was a welding summit

down there that's put on by

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the American Welding Society.

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They asked me to speak on attracting,

retaining, and inspiring the next

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generation, which I was happy to do

'cause I love talking about the trades.

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And I threw out this statistic that

welders by: 2029

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And even though these people were in

welding, they looked at me like, what?

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That's the shortage.

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And I'm sort of curious because the

shortages are in every single trade.

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How is Lowe's and the foundation

helping to reach the younger

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generation to join the trades?

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Andrew, when we think about the shortage,

you know, we certainly are in a crisis

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and we know that there are incredible gaps

that exist, but we see that as opportunity

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and when we talk to young people.

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And work with our programs.

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That is what we really stress.

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This is an opportunity, like you said

in your intro, these are fulfilling

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careers, well-paying careers, and

they're going to offer so many

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opportunities for growth moving forward.

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When we think about how we engage with

the younger generation skills, USA, who

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I know you've been engaged with recently.

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That's right.

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Amazing organization.

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We work with them on their national

signing day, and this is a day where

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we recognize seniors through their

programs, who are moving on either

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entering careers, are entering their

construction based continuing education,

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and we roll out a blue carpet, a

literal blue carpet for the students.

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Our goal is to make the signers on their

day feel as special as a celebrity.

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So we'll do balloon tunnels.

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We have events taking place at our

stores and it's all centered around

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celebrating the choice that the

student has made to pursue a career

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in the skilled trades because we

see a very bright future for them.

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Yeah, it's funny that you mention skills

USA 'cause when that gets mentioned,

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I light up every single time 'cause

that was down there with skills.

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USA.

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Skills.

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USA did a partnership with TikTok and

I was one of three content creators

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to go down there and create content.

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And these kids, that's the next generation

of people in the skilled trades or

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kids in the skilled trades, and it's

all high school kids and it's super

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exciting to see, you know, their talents.

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I went over to like the welding event and

I was looking, they had a artwork contest

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where these kids had to make artwork.

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I was blown away.

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I'm like, these kids are

young, they're talented.

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They have soft skills and they have

the technical skills to back it up,

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and companies don't realize that

even their next, you know, talent

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is coming out of these events like

Skills, USA, it really is incredible.

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I always love to see to the student

projects and the student competitions, how

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they're displaying teamwork, integrity.

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They're focused on.

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What they are producing

that is high quality.

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And like you said to Andrew, the

soft skills, those are so important.

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We hear that from employers.

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We hear that from a Lowe's Foundation

perspective, the programs that we support.

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Those skills really help take you far.

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You can learn your technical skills

and hone those over time through

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mentorship, but Skills, USA does a

phenomenal job really building in

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those soft skills for their students

to prepare them for those careers

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right after they graduate high school.

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You know, you hit on something

about mentorship and how important

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that is for somebody who's just

starting with an organization.

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To sort of lean on someone who's been

in the industry for 5, 10, 15 years.

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So if they want to go plumbing,

they wanna go welding, they wanna

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go carpentry, electrical, to lean

on somebody that is successful.

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And it's the same thing.

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If somebody in the trades who's young

wants to start their own business

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and get into entrepreneurship, they

should lock in with somebody who

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actually has their own business.

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You shouldn't try to reinvent the wheel.

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Somebody has been and done

that type of path before.

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Yeah.

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One of the things that that makes me

think about through our Liz Foundation,

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Gable Grants program is when we

think about mentorship, one of the

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successes that we've seen through the

community and technical colleges and

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the community-based nonprofits that

we've funded is their instructors.

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Many of these instructors, they

come from industry and now they

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are retired, or they have decided

that they're going to give back.

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And to train the next generation

and to see the instructors really

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lean in with their students.

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I think about instructors that

are down with Midlands Technical

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College in Columbia, South Carolina.

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They come from industry.

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They are really pushing that college

in an amazing, incredible direction

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with innovation throughout the program.

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They build.

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Homes, three bedroom homes that

get sold and people live in them.

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They buy them, they live in them.

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And recently those instructors

have hired two graduates

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that came from their program.

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So there are guys at the beginning,

two guys at the beginning of their

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careers who are going to learn from

the instructors, and that helps

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with also the instructor pipeline.

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So it's critical.

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I think the mentorship, I think the

leadership by the instructors, and I'll

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also share, I think one thing that we also

see in particular with our community-based

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organizations is that the, as the students

go through, they're a cohort and they

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develop connections amongst themselves.

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And so as they go out into the working

world, if they have a tough day on

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the job or if they're working through

something and they need some advice,

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they have a network who they can lean

on and have that peer mentoring as well.

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It's good to have that community.

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It's good to have that support.

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Out there, you know, like you said,

you have a tough day and or you have a

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question on something and you're just not

sure that there's somebody there in your

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network if it's a, a mentor, somebody

who's, you know, helping you through sort

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of how you climb the ladder of success

or if it's just somebody who's kind of

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going through whatever trade that you're

in and is in maybe a similar position.

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I've seen examples of in all different

trades, someone had a, a rough week

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and they're thinking about quitting.

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Well, there's been somebody there

who's going through the same sort of

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situation and kind of supports them,

kind of helps them through and say, okay,

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you just had a tough couple of days.

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But that person really kind of helps them

out and gets them kind of going forward.

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And it's really important to have and

can be inspirational and motivating.

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It is.

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I want the audience to really

get a good understanding.

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Everybody knows Lowe's.

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Everybody's has a Lowe's probably within

20 miles of then 10 miles of them.

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But not many people know

about the foundation.

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Can you tell us a little bit about sort

of the foundation, how it started and kind

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of what it looks like sort of day to day,

and what type of schools or what type of

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companies that you're helping out there?

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Well, the Lowes Foundation, we've been

around for decades, but in recent times

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in 2023, the Lowes Foundation Board.

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Which is consist of.

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Those foundation leaders really sat

back and said, how can we make a

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true impact on America, on the United

States as a business, as a foundation?

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We have funds that we want

to invest in the community.

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What can we do to make an impact?

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And back to what we previously talked

about, the worker shortage crisis.

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It really rose immediately to the top.

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We serve customers, we serve

pros who are out there in, in the

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community contractors, and what

better way to give back by investing

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in the future of the professionals

in the construction industry.

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So from there we set off.

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We made a $50 million commitment

over five years to help train

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50,000 individuals to be ready

for careers in the skilled trades.

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We've focused in on five different areas.

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We talk about right needs and demand.

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The areas we leaned into were carpentry

and construction, electrical, HVAC,

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plumbing and property maintenance.

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And so we see that those are

very well paying career paths.

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They offer a number of options and

will provide strong opportunities.

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And they're very high

need, I think we could say.

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We all think about those and

we can all need them in our

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personal and professional lives.

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So from there, the way that we are

implementing this strategy is through

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funding community and technical colleges,

community-based nonprofits, which we

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really describe as more localized.

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They may be regional.

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We have a few that are more statewide,

but for the most part, those are local.

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And then we also support a number

of national nonprofit skills, USA

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that we've talked about being one.

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We're looking to those programs to

help invest in their innovation,

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in their infrastructure.

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How can they scale?

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So when we think about wanting to bridge

this divide of the worker shortage

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crisis, how can we help these programs

who have incredible instructors and

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program directors who have all these

great ideas, how can we, through

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our funding, unlock those ideas to

help them train more individuals?

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To help them expand their programs, offer

day and night classes, for instance.

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It takes a wide variety of forms, but

that's what our program is designed

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to do through those partners, the

schools that you help fund the

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kids that are going through that.

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So you said plumbing and you

said carpentry, and you said

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electrical on the plumbing side.

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How many kids does, you know, a typical

college have in that type of program?

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And how does the Lowe's

Foundation help that?

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Is it more so in funding so we can

get the right instructor, or is it

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equipment for that particular trade?

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So let's just say plumbing for instance.

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I'm curious.

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So Andrew, it all really

varies by college, by community

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based nonprofit program.

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One example when it comes

to plumbing is that we began

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funding them last year in 2024.

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Our grants are two year grants, and we

funded Valencia College down in Orlando

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to start up a new plumbing program.

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So that's often part of what community

colleges in particular really need.

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Is the ability to start up and prove

and demonstrate that a program is going

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to be successful and that students

will want to enroll in it, and that

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they will matriculate and they will

be employed and find good careers.

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And so what we did as part of the

grant wasn't the whole grant, was

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to really help them develop out the

curriculum, hire the instructor.

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And these programs as they go through

the cohort tends to be smaller

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because they have that, you know, more

smaller classes so they can get that

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instruction, they can work through,

they can problem solve and troubleshoot.

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When you say it's a small, like what's

a small, like, is it like 12 to 15?

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But again, I think it just varies on

that instructor to participant ratio

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and what that one particular training

program is able, like the capacity there.

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It's sort of ebbs and flows and it's

different by carpentry is different

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than electrical, for instance.

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But at the end of the day, what we're

trying to do with colleges like Valencia

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is help them expand their programs,

help them expand their offerings.

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Because these colleges know and

they see, they talk to employers,

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and employers say, I need more

plumbers, I need more electricians.

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Everyone is working together in

a collaborative plan to say, how

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can we help this college be able

to produce the workforce that

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our region, our community needs?

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So a lot of what we're looking to

with our Gable Grant participants are

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the programs that we're supporting

is what is the community saying?

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What are the needs?

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Will there be careers and jobs for

the students who graduate to go into.

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And how can we help them accelerate

their ability to start up a new program,

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because that can often take a lot of time.

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But by providing the funding to

be able to help that plan become a

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reality, we can help shrink that time

down so they can get to training.

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So someone like Valencia, how long does it

take to get up and running with a program?

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Obviously there's a lot of work

behind the scenes before, you know,

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you start getting the students in.

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How long does something like that take?

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Valencia was incredible.

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They had a plan.

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They received their Gable Grant

last year in July, I think,

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just a few months ago in May.

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They graduated the first class.

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They started it around January,

February timeframe, and that

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first class graduated in July.

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So that's also what we look to for

our grant recipients, is that they've

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been building out a well thought

out plan that, again, turnkey.

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We already know here are the elements,

this is what it's going to look like.

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And so once we're able to provide

those dollars, we want to help the

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organization put those dollars to

work immediately so it can begin.

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Kids have.

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Sometimes they're not sure

where to go to work in plumbing

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or electrical or carpentry.

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They just, there's so much

information that it's too overload.

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So if somebody wants to be in plumbing

and wants, just knows that the college

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is offering this type of program.

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Do you know anything about sort of

the investment in, for the student

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to take these courses and how long it

typically takes from start to finish?

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Is it a year?

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They're in class and then they

can get a job, like what's the

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timeframe and the investment in.

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What's very exciting about the

skilled trades in general is that

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there are so many options for

individuals that if you think about

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the community college route, there

are often many scholarships available.

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It is a very affordable route and pathway

to take when we think about training.

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On the community college side,

there are a number of options.

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So you could go for

your associate's degree.

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That's going to be a longer program,

more in depth, a two year program.

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In some cases, depending on where you

live, you may get some credits towards

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a journeyman's license, for instance.

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It really varies, or it may set you up

to go right on into an apprenticeship.

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So there are a number of things that

these colleges promote like that,

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that would be out on their website.

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On the community based nonprofit

side, the organizations that we

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support do not charge tuition.

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Now these programs tend to be more

of an intro to the trades, so you may

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be doing more of a tour where you're

experiencing five to six different trades.

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You are getting your basic

certifications, your OSHA 30, your.

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CPR first aid.

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Oftentimes it may be something even as

a credential, like the N-C-C-E-R core

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credential so that now you've got a

little bit of everything and you can

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figure out which pathway you want to take.

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So I think the great news when it comes

to the skilled trades is that there

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are a lot of opportunities and you

don't have to spend a lot of money.

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You don't have to go into debt.

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You don't have to take out loans

that you can search and see what's

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available in your community.

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And oftentimes there may be free

programs right in your backyard.

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Yeah.

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Everybody has to decide which

direction they want to take.

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But there is a lot from what

I gather and what I get.

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Being on social media consistently

and having a sizable following.

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And I like to show up on TikTok a lot.

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YouTube and, and LinkedIn are a few of

the, uh, platforms I like to show up on.

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But a lot of the questions that really

come from the younger generation

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and I, I'll show up on a live and on

TikTok for 45 minutes is, you know,

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Andrew, I'm really trying to get in,

but I just, I don't know where to go.

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I don't know what to do.

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I don't know what trade I want to do.

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There's also the flip side of.

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You know what?

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I've come out of a trade school,

I've come out of a program, but

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there's no opportunities because a

lot of these companies are asking for

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three to five years of experience.

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So there's a lot of that behind the

scenes that's happening as well.

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Obviously, my hope is that they take

these programs and the school has

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some type of relationship with local

industry, and these kids can get a job.

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Right away.

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Or they can get a, an

apprenticeship right away.

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But there's the other side that I

want really the audience to understand

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that sometimes it takes a while to get

in and you know, it might take a few

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different tries to get what you want.

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: 00:18:56

Yeah.

309

: 00:18:57

And I think, you know, as we're looking

to help sort of lead in this space,

310

: 00:19:03

that is certainly an opportunity for

the industry and what we might think

311

: 00:19:08

of, of the ecosystem as a whole.

312

: 00:19:10

How can we help individuals?

313

: 00:19:12

Who are interested in being a part of

this career pathway of this industry?

314

: 00:19:17

How can we help them navigate through

N-C-C-E-R, which is the National Center

315

: 00:19:23

for Construction Education and Research.

316

: 00:19:25

They have a really great resource called

Career Starter, which may be a place

317

: 00:19:30

that folks might want to check out.

318

: 00:19:32

Our Lowes foundation.org

319

: 00:19:34

page.

320

: 00:19:35

We have a whole section about the

value of the skilled trades and

321

: 00:19:39

why the skilled trades, but I think

there's a lot of opportunity out there

322

: 00:19:43

to help individuals who are new and

entering this space navigate through.

323

: 00:19:49

I think what we've seen in

particular, when I think about

324

: 00:19:52

our community-based nonprofits.

325

: 00:19:54

Is that the nonprofits who

are operating in the space?

326

: 00:19:58

Examples would be, she built this

city here in Charlotte, or Uncommon

327

: 00:20:02

Construction down in New Orleans,

Alaska Works, which is based in Alaska.

328

: 00:20:07

They provide a number of those wraparound

services, those navigation services.

329

: 00:20:14

They're all about burial removal and

so moving with the individual, helping

330

: 00:20:18

them through this process, which can be

very hard to navigate thinking through.

331

: 00:20:24

Okay.

332

: 00:20:24

Now that you've gone through and you've

gotten your basic certifications,

333

: 00:20:28

what is it that you're interested in?

334

: 00:20:30

So many of these programs have that career

advisor, many programs that we fund, I

335

: 00:20:36

think through our program with the local

Initiative Support corporation, that's

336

: 00:20:40

called lisc, and we fund programs where.

337

: 00:20:44

Are actually paired up with a

financial advisor counselor for three

338

: 00:20:49

years, sometimes more than that.

339

: 00:20:52

To help them also get the financial

literacy and navigate through on the

340

: 00:20:56

financial side, which is extremely

important when you think about the type of

341

: 00:21:00

money that can be made in these careers.

342

: 00:21:03

You know, focusing on our

community-based nonprofits and

343

: 00:21:06

some of our national nonprofits.

344

: 00:21:08

They're really leaning in to helping

individuals provide those tools.

345

: 00:21:12

While it can be hard to find them, they

are out there, I certainly would encourage

346

: 00:21:17

folks to look around the community

and see if these resources exist.

347

: 00:21:23

Also our website has all of the

information about our grant recipients

348

: 00:21:28

and just like she built the city model

and the other models I was talking

349

: 00:21:32

about, you'll find a list of those.

350

: 00:21:34

There we're, we're funding

60 organizations across the

351

: 00:21:37

country, colleges and nonprofits.

352

: 00:21:40

I am so proud of what

these partners are doing.

353

: 00:21:42

They are truly leading the way.

354

: 00:21:45

In helping their students be as successful

as they can when they enter the workplace.

355

: 00:21:50

You know, you said the N-C-C-E-R.

356

: 00:21:52

We had Boyd Worsham, who was the CEOI had

him on last year, and he talked about, I

357

: 00:21:58

think it was it's career starter, right?

358

: 00:22:00

Career starter.

359

: 00:22:00

I think he had had mentioned that.

360

: 00:22:02

So that is a great way to at least start.

361

: 00:22:04

Typically, what are you interested in?

362

: 00:22:06

Then obviously you can go on the Lowe's

website as well to find out a little bit

363

: 00:22:10

more information about the skilled trades.

364

: 00:22:11

But I, I love that Lowe's

is going above and beyond.

365

: 00:22:14

It's not just selling products

and tools and safety gear.

366

: 00:22:17

It's really making a difference

in the skilled trades.

367

: 00:22:21

Out of all the grants that you've

sort of put together, is there a

368

: 00:22:25

success story that really sticks out?

369

: 00:22:28

Maybe an individual.

370

: 00:22:30

Or it's a school of some sort that

really kind of just stands out from

371

: 00:22:35

the rest that you can share with us.

372

: 00:22:37

Oh, well there are so

many incredible stories.

373

: 00:22:41

It's hard to, you know, it's

hard to come up with just one.

374

: 00:22:46

I did mention she built this city

earlier when we, we were chatting.

375

: 00:22:50

Lowe's and the Lowe's Foundation

has been funding and supporting.

376

: 00:22:54

She built the city since their

inception, which was about four

377

: 00:22:58

and a half or so years ago.

378

: 00:22:59

So we've been around since the beginning.

379

: 00:23:02

And that organization is

focused in helping women

380

: 00:23:05

enter skilled trades careers.

381

: 00:23:08

The organization has made

an incredible transformation

382

: 00:23:12

over the past several years.

383

: 00:23:13

They started almost right before COVID.

384

: 00:23:17

Instead of trying to find their way

during COVID, they thrived and they

385

: 00:23:21

grew their programs and there was an

an individual who went through one of

386

: 00:23:26

their original training programs, which

at that time was focused on plumbing.

387

: 00:23:31

They've since expanded to do

more of tour of the trades model.

388

: 00:23:34

But she went through that and she found

them on Facebook and before that she

389

: 00:23:39

had been working what she would call a

job with really no career trajectory.

390

: 00:23:44

And she didn't love it.

391

: 00:23:46

It was an hourly job, it was not a

career, and she was in her early twenties.

392

: 00:23:51

So she graduated from the plumbing

program and then she became an apprentice,

393

: 00:23:55

which she built this city and worked

towards her journey Woman's license,

394

: 00:24:00

which I was at her graduation for that

about a year ago, she became a property

395

: 00:24:06

manager of a high rise in downtown

Charlotte, and she since got scooped away.

396

: 00:24:12

And is working for another property

management firm making a significant

397

: 00:24:19

amount of money, and she owns

her own home through Habitat.

398

: 00:24:23

It's just been wonderful to be on

this journey with her and to see

399

: 00:24:28

today her passion is the skill traits.

400

: 00:24:31

You talk to her, she has got

family members signed up.

401

: 00:24:35

She'll tell anyone this is

the best career that there is.

402

: 00:24:39

To think that all of this happened

just by her finding it on Facebook

403

: 00:24:44

and getting matched with, she built

the city and now the future is hers.

404

: 00:24:50

It's incredible.

405

: 00:24:51

So those are the stories that give me

chills, that just inspire me because.

406

: 00:24:57

I think in particular, many times folks

who are going through these programs

407

: 00:25:02

have never really considered this as

an opportunity and they get into them

408

: 00:25:08

and see this is what I'm meant to do.

409

: 00:25:10

I love those stories.

410

: 00:25:12

The success stories, you know,

especially women only make up about

411

: 00:25:16

four or 5% of the skilled trades.

412

: 00:25:17

And when you really help an individual

and support a woman, you know, obviously

413

: 00:25:22

this is happens to be a plumbing path.

414

: 00:25:24

It actually sounds, she built this city.

415

: 00:25:27

I'm trying to rack my brain.

416

: 00:25:29

I think I know it, but I can't

place the program, can't place

417

: 00:25:33

the people in the program, but

it sounds very familiar to me.

418

: 00:25:37

They're incredible.

419

: 00:25:37

You'll have to check them out.

420

: 00:25:39

Those are the success stories.

421

: 00:25:40

I love hearing about these programs that

these individuals go through and all of a

422

: 00:25:45

sudden they didn't even know much about.

423

: 00:25:48

Plumbing or much about carpentry or much

about welding or whatever trade that

424

: 00:25:52

they get into it and they go through

the program and all of a sudden on the

425

: 00:25:55

other side of it, they come out, they're

interested, they take that next step,

426

: 00:25:59

and then all of a sudden after a handful

of years, they're doing very well.

427

: 00:26:03

They're climbing the ladder of

success and they have a skill

428

: 00:26:06

that is always in high demand.

429

: 00:26:08

It's just unreal to hear the possibilities

are endless, and she's just really

430

: 00:26:13

at the beginning of her career.

431

: 00:26:15

So I look forward to

seeing where she goes.

432

: 00:26:18

So getting just back to the

foundation, how do organizations

433

: 00:26:24

reach out to the foundation?

434

: 00:26:25

Do they fill out certain information

about what they're looking to do,

435

: 00:26:29

what program they're looking to start?

436

: 00:26:31

And then you must get overloaded

with I assume, applications.

437

: 00:26:34

And if you do, how do you filter

out which ones would be the

438

: 00:26:38

right fit for the foundation?

439

: 00:26:40

Through our foundation.

440

: 00:26:41

As I mentioned, we do fund two year

grants to community and technical colleges

441

: 00:26:47

and community-based nonprofits who are

training programs in the skilled trade.

442

: 00:26:52

So we are very specific.

443

: 00:26:54

I talked about the five focus areas.

444

: 00:26:57

We're very specific to those focus areas,

but we do run competitive grant cycles.

445

: 00:27:03

We're actually in the middle of our

community base nonprofit cycle now.

446

: 00:27:07

Our cycle for community and

technical colleges, those

447

: 00:27:11

applications will open March 1st.

448

: 00:27:14

All of the information about our

grant program can be found on our

449

: 00:27:17

website, lowes foundation.org,

450

: 00:27:20

and we also spell out very clearly what

the priorities off the foundation, what

451

: 00:27:27

types of grants that we are providing.

452

: 00:27:29

We fund anywhere from 100,000 to a

million dollars over those two years.

453

: 00:27:35

The current grant recipients who are out

there, the colleges and the nonprofits

454

: 00:27:40

really are illustrative of the types

of programming that we're looking for.

455

: 00:27:44

Really looking at infrastructure, so

how can we help an organization with

456

: 00:27:51

some advanced technology or staying

on top of the latest technology?

457

: 00:27:55

Many of the colleges and nonprofits

are looking at mobile units.

458

: 00:27:59

A lot of that is breaking down

barriers of accessibility.

459

: 00:28:03

So we think about that.

460

: 00:28:05

Then we have opportunities for

innovation around work-based learning.

461

: 00:28:09

So many opportunities.

462

: 00:28:10

We have an organization next step.

463

: 00:28:13

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, where those

students are building tiny homes,

464

: 00:28:18

that individuals who are experiencing

homelessness in the community will

465

: 00:28:23

then move in and become residents of,

and we have, I talked about Midlands,

466

: 00:28:28

who is building homes and they sell

them on their state surplus site, and

467

: 00:28:32

that money comes back to the school

to be reinvested, to build more homes.

468

: 00:28:37

So we have just a number of

different innovative ideas.

469

: 00:28:41

And what we also hope to do in short

order here is be able to share those ideas

470

: 00:28:47

and those best practices so that others

can replicate them in their community

471

: 00:28:53

when it comes to the mobile units.

472

: 00:28:55

We just featured a mobile unit

from Montana on the news section

473

: 00:29:00

of our Lowes foundation.org

474

: 00:29:03

website.

475

: 00:29:04

We also have a number of

different mobile units, all

476

: 00:29:07

different shapes, sizes, purposes.

477

: 00:29:10

So we want to be able to package that up

a little bit more so that individuals who

478

: 00:29:14

are thinking about that and thinking of

that idea and executing in that community

479

: 00:29:19

will be able to pull from those best

practices so they can be more efficiently

480

: 00:29:24

and effective with any ideas like that.

481

: 00:29:26

So over time, we want

to grow the resources.

482

: 00:29:30

From the grant recipients and from

what we're learning to share with

483

: 00:29:34

others, because we are very focused

on strengthening all of the programs.

484

: 00:29:40

While we cannot fund them all,

we want to be out there helping

485

: 00:29:44

programs be more effective to help

rise all the boats and to help

486

: 00:29:49

address this worker shortage crisis.

487

: 00:29:51

Tell me about the mobile unit.

488

: 00:29:53

Yeah.

489

: 00:29:54

These mobile units, they're so innovative.

490

: 00:29:57

And at the end of the day, it's all

about breaking down barriers and breaking

491

: 00:30:01

down that barrier of transportation.

492

: 00:30:03

So in Montana, we fund an organization

called Accelerate Montana, and what

493

: 00:30:09

they found is that they were offering

basic construction courses, but

494

: 00:30:14

they were being offered at colleges,

community colleges across the state.

495

: 00:30:19

But in a rural state like

Montana, some of those colleges

496

: 00:30:23

were two to three hours away.

497

: 00:30:25

So they looked and said, Hey, Lowe's

Foundation, here's our grant application.

498

: 00:30:30

Here's our idea.

499

: 00:30:31

Can you help us create

this mobile training lab?

500

: 00:30:34

So now they're going out, they're

conducting their training.

501

: 00:30:38

In the community, folks are getting

all of the skills that they need.

502

: 00:30:42

They're set up, and then

they're able to begin to pursue

503

: 00:30:45

additional career opportunities.

504

: 00:30:48

So we have mobile units down in Florida.

505

: 00:30:51

We have some here in

Charlotte where we're based.

506

: 00:30:54

They're mobile units across the country.

507

: 00:30:57

And Columbus, Georgia is another example.

508

: 00:30:59

Columbus Tech, they are so impactful.

509

: 00:31:03

We have Columbus Tech, which actually is

taking the mobile unit into a correctional

510

: 00:31:08

facility and providing training there.

511

: 00:31:10

And then when the mobile unit isn't being

used for training, it is a traveling

512

: 00:31:15

billboard and traveling experience.

513

: 00:31:19

So they take it to the Girl Scouts and

the Girl Scouts can take a look at it.

514

: 00:31:23

So.

515

: 00:31:24

Really thinking about how

can we be more innovative?

516

: 00:31:28

How can we break down these barriers,

bring the training to individuals, and

517

: 00:31:32

then being able to also use it as a way

to get people curious and interested

518

: 00:31:38

in the programs that it offers.

519

: 00:31:40

I like that you go to them.

520

: 00:31:42

If they're too far, you go to

them, which I think is great.

521

: 00:31:45

I've seen those type of trailers

on wheels and these kids that see

522

: 00:31:50

these trailers, they set a light up.

523

: 00:31:53

I've seen it with the American

Welding Society has a virtual trailer.

524

: 00:31:57

It's huge black trailer.

525

: 00:31:59

It's got six Lincoln Electric

virtual machines on there.

526

: 00:32:03

And these kids, they're happy not

only to play games, but also to

527

: 00:32:06

learn about the welding trade.

528

: 00:32:08

So I've seen these mobile units

before and it's just a great way

529

: 00:32:12

to get kids exposed, you know, to

really working with their hands.

530

: 00:32:15

So it's great that there's an

investment into that type of work.

531

: 00:32:19

Is there anything else about sort

of the Lowe's Foundation that we

532

: 00:32:22

didn't cover that you'd wanna share

a little bit more to the audience?

533

: 00:32:27

Yeah, I mean, I think I would just share,

you know, when we think about overall,

534

: 00:32:32

you know, we're on a mission to help

bridge this worker shortage crisis.

535

: 00:32:36

And when we think about Lowe's, you

know, our mission is solving problems

536

: 00:32:40

and fulfilling dreams for the home.

537

: 00:32:43

And that has really

positioned us well to help.

538

: 00:32:47

Through our Lowe's Foundation, build the

next generation of skilled tradespeople

539

: 00:32:51

at a time when the industry needs it most.

540

: 00:32:54

So in July, we announced another

round of our community and technical

541

: 00:32:59

colleges, $7 million worth of grants

to 12 community and technical colleges.

542

: 00:33:06

We're really excited about the next

two years that we'll have with them.

543

: 00:33:10

And then most recently we announced.

544

: 00:33:14

A $500,000 grant to a partner of

ours called Hiring Our Heroes, and

545

: 00:33:20

we're actually working with them

to develop a new program that will

546

: 00:33:25

launch a pilot training that will

take place at Camp Lajeune, which

547

: 00:33:30

is in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

548

: 00:33:32

And it's designed to help equip

transitioning service members with

549

: 00:33:36

the foundational skills that they

need to help get started and launch

550

: 00:33:41

a career in the construction trades.

551

: 00:33:43

This is a new undertaking for us

at the Lowes Foundation, and we

552

: 00:33:48

are extremely excited about being

able to be a part of the programs

553

: 00:33:54

offered as members of the military

transition into a different career.

554

: 00:33:59

Well, you're certainly checking

all the boxes in all different

555

: 00:34:02

areas with the shortages that are

are happening across the board,

556

: 00:34:05

it almost sounds like it's almost.

557

: 00:34:07

Every state that has some type of, you

know, engagement or some type of, you

558

: 00:34:13

know, assistance that you're giving.

559

: 00:34:14

And it's really great that, you know, a

big box store is really, I wanna go back

560

: 00:34:19

to, it's not just selling tools, it's

really helping the skilled trades and

561

: 00:34:23

helping the shortages that are out there.

562

: 00:34:25

The industry really needs all the

help that it can get out there.

563

: 00:34:28

So it's really great that the Lowe's,

uh, foundation is really doing that work.

564

: 00:34:32

We are proud to do that work.

565

: 00:34:34

And we'll continue to do the work and just

really proud and grateful to all of our 60

566

: 00:34:40

partners who are out there every day with

passion and commitment to the students who

567

: 00:34:47

are starting their careers, are advancing

their careers in the skilled trades.

568

: 00:34:52

It is really great to see that

569

: 00:34:57

now the tools of the trade.

570

: 00:35:01

Betsy, this has been an amazing

conversation, but before we leave the

571

: 00:35:04

studio today, what is one of your special

tools of the trade advice you can give

572

: 00:35:12

someone just starting out their journey in

the skilled trades, whether it's a habit

573

: 00:35:18

they can do or it's some type of mindset.

574

: 00:35:21

Some sort of practical skill

that you think that can set

575

: 00:35:25

them up for future success.

576

: 00:35:27

Don't limit yourself.

577

: 00:35:29

The world is yours.

578

: 00:35:30

Try not to put a limit.

579

: 00:35:32

No limit by fear.

580

: 00:35:33

I can't do this.

581

: 00:35:34

I'm too old, I'm too young.

582

: 00:35:37

Really just take all the limits away.

583

: 00:35:39

In this field, the

opportunities are limitless.

584

: 00:35:44

So the only one who can limit you is you.

585

: 00:35:47

So I say, just go out there,

jump in, dive in, try it all.

586

: 00:35:53

That is great advice.

587

: 00:35:54

No limits.

588

: 00:35:55

There's no age barrier here, right?

589

: 00:35:57

If you are a career changer,

you want something new.

590

: 00:35:59

You know, I've seen people you know

a little bit later in their career

591

: 00:36:03

wanting to make a change from a white

collar job to a blue collar job.

592

: 00:36:06

It's possible.

593

: 00:36:07

So I like that advice.

594

: 00:36:09

The only limit is really the person

who's staring at you in the mirror.

595

: 00:36:12

If people wanna find out more about

the foundation website, social,

596

: 00:36:17

where do they go to check it out?

597

: 00:36:19

So our foundation website

is lowe's foundation.org.

598

: 00:36:24

And then we are also on

Instagram, Facebook, and

599

: 00:36:26

LinkedIn as Lowe's Foundation.

600

: 00:36:28

So please check us out and follow us.

601

: 00:36:31

I will put the, uh,

information in the show notes.

602

: 00:36:35

I wanna appreciate you being on the show

and just sharing, you know, a little bit

603

: 00:36:38

about the foundation and what Lowe's is

really doing to help the skilled trades.

604

: 00:36:42

Thank you for your advocacy

for the skilled trades as well.

605

: 00:36:45

And thank you to our listeners.

606

: 00:36:46

If your school nonprofit or

company working to get more

607

: 00:36:50

people into the skilled trades.

608

: 00:36:52

I love to connect, whether it's speaking

at your event, telling your story

609

: 00:36:56

through our trades meteor platform,

or partnering to Shine the light on

610

: 00:37:00

the incredible work you are doing.

611

: 00:37:02

You can reach out to me on my website.

612

: 00:37:04

Andrew brown.net

613

: 00:37:05

to learn more, and don't forget

to subscribe to the podcast so

614

: 00:37:09

you never miss another episode.

615

: 00:37:11

We'll see you next time.

616

: 00:37:15

Thanks for listening to The

Lost Art of the Skilled Trades.

617

: 00:37:19

Visit us@andrewbrown.net

618

: 00:37:21

for more resources and tips.

619

: 00:37:23

Join us next time for real stories and

meaningful initiatives as we celebrate

620

: 00:37:28

our men and women in the skilled

trades and shape the future together.