Today, the Lowe’s Foundation announced that Columbus Technical College (CTC) has been selected from hundreds of applicants to receive grant funding as part of the Foundation's investment in skilled trades training infrastructure through the Gable Grants program. 

CTC will use the grant funding to expand its reach with a new mobile unit to bring skilled trades training opportunities to students in rural communities, justice-involved learners and transitioning service members. The college also plans to build a four-week fast-track “Construction Career Launch Program” bootcamp to prepare participants for entry-level skilled trades positions. CTC’s Mobile Carpentry Training Program was selected from more than 200 applicants as one of the inaugural cohort of colleges winning Gable Grants to support its innovative and scalable trades training programs.

Janice Dupré, Lowe's executive vice president of human resources and chair of the Lowe's Foundation said Columbus Technical College is a deserving institution that is driving transformation in the skilled trades workforce by investing in programs that will prepare students for these sustainable and inclusive career pathways.

The Lowe’s Foundation aims to help build a sustainable infrastructure of innovative training programs to cultivate more job-ready tradespeople and address the skilled trades labor shortage in [grantee location] and throughout the U.S. To support workforce development, the Lowe’s Foundation is committing $50 million to prepare 50,000 people for skilled trades careers over the next 5 years through its Gable Grants program.

The first round of grants announced today total nearly $8 million in grants to community and technical colleges to support skilled trades training programs. In addition to these grants, the Lowe’s Foundation will invest at least $5 million more this year to assist community-based nonprofit organizations and national partners with a strong local presence. This puts the foundation on pace to invest more than $12 million in 2023, ahead of its $50 million five-year commitment.