Skilled trades are considered a strong foundation for a facilities management career. As the U.S. confronts a critical shortage of skilled trade workers, the Lowe’s Foundation announced an expanded $250 million commitment to help train and develop 250,000 tradespeople by 2035 through its Gable Grants program.
This announcement follows a $100 million initiative from financial giant BlackRock to support the next generation of electricians, HVAC technicians, plumbers, and other tradespeople.
According to Lowe’s, its new goal builds on the foundation’s 2023 announcement of a $50 million, five-year commitment to help train 50,000 tradespeople with the support of Lowe’s vendor partners. With nearly $53 million invested in 65 organizations since then, the foundation is on track to help prepare 50,000 tradespeople by 2027, a full year ahead of its original goal, with momentum accelerating.
“Three years ago, we set out to lead an ambitious workforce movement in a pivotal moment—and it’s taken off faster than we imagined,” said Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s chairman and CEO and co-champion of the Business Roundtable “Skilled Trades for America” initiative. “American prosperity is at stake, and we are partnering to solve the workforce gap with a growing force of educators, employers, and policymakers who understand local needs. No single organization can do this alone.”
To reach 250,000 tradespeople over 10 years, the foundation is increasing its investment and focus on:
- Expanding partnerships with nonprofits and community colleges nationwide to increase program capacity, reduce training barriers, and recruit new tradespeople. These organizations prioritize job placement, career advancement to increase retention, and long-term program sustainability.
- Helping the next generation of professionals find new careers. To improve access, the foundation is growing its partnership with the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) to enhance its CareerStarter platform, a free service that connects students and job seekers directly with educators, employers, and career opportunities. Separately, the foundation is also expanding its training focus to include opportunity youth—young people ages 16 to 24 who are not currently in school or employed but have the potential to connect to skilled trades employment opportunities through education and training.
- Leading a community of learning with grant recipients to accelerate the adoption of best practices. This includes in-person convenings with skilled trades experts and industry leaders to solve shared challenges, from short-term credentialing to hiring instructors to meet increased demand.
More information about the Gable Grants program is available here.