Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) will receive $50,000 to further transform the lives and futures of students in its second year as part of the Metallica Scholars Initiative. The College focused on supporting non-native English-speaking healthcare students in year one and now will turn its focus to providing support for students interested in pursuing high-demand careers in sectors such as Information Technology (IT).
Since establishing the Metallica Scholars Initiative in 2019, All Within My Hands (AWMH) has been working with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) to provide direct support for career and technical education programs across the United States. Having grown from a concept to a thriving educational strategy that focuses on enhancing skills while providing services to students looking to enter a traditional trade or other applied learning program, the Metallica Scholars Initiative has generated a proven and measurable impact. AWMH will replicate the program further by adding ten more schools to the roster, investing $1.8 million to expand in year four.
“Our goal for the Metallica Scholars Initiative is to shine a light on workforce education and support the next generation of tradespeople,” said Pete Delgrosso, executive director of All Within My Hands. “With the addition of the 2022-2023 Metallica Scholars program, our grants will reach over 2,000 men and women in 32 community colleges across 27 states. We are honored to support these students of all ages and backgrounds and look forward to growing the program even farther in the future.”
Direct impact on job and wage growth drives the Metallica Scholars Initiative. On average, students who complete the program see new job opportunities and increased salary potential up to three times higher than pre-program.
In both healthcare and IT, students begin their studies with varying degrees of content familiarity and sector awareness. In year one, NOVA used its funding to support non-native English-speaking Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) students. This year, NOVA plans to expand that support with a new CompTIA IT Fundamentals course that will serve at least 40 additional students pursuing careers in high-demand sectors such as IT. This pre-career certification will remove barriers for NOVA students and set them up to successfully stack credentials, such as CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network +.
“Through the Metallica Scholars Initiative, AWMH and AACC are making a sound investment in our NOVA Nighthawks looking to take the next step in their careers,” said Steven Partridge, vice president of strategy, research and workforce innovation at NOVA. “Foundational language skills and technical knowledge are critical to finding career success in a region as diverse as Northern Virginia’s technology corridor.”
Funded by Metallica’s All Within My Hands (AWMH) Foundation and led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the Metallica Scholars Initiative is designed to directly support students while elevating the importance of career and technical education. Metallica continues to use its global platform to speak out about the dignity of professional trades and the community colleges that prepare students to contribute in their communities in this important way.
Working closely with the AACC, a Washington, D.C.-based advocate for not-for-profit, public-serving institutions, AWMH has selected ten schools to receive $100,000 each to transform the future of students in their communities. The extensive proposal process received an incredible amount of interest, and the applicants were of the highest quality. Each of the ten institutions chosen will prioritize students interested in the skilled trades as a pathway to economic development.
“The Metallica Scholars program has proved to provide significant resources for community college students looking to learn the skills needed for today’s workforce,” said Walter G. Bumphus, AACC’s president and CEO. “We are honored to partner with the All Within My Hands Foundation to continue to expand this opportunity for community colleges and their students.”
The ten schools are:
- Clark State Community College - Springfield, Ohio
- East Central College - Union, Missouri
- Guilford Technical Community College – Jamestown, North Carolina
- Hudson County Community College - Jersey City, New Jersey
- Middlesex Community College -Lowell, Massachusetts
- Milwaukee Area Technical College - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College - Perkinston, Mississippi
- Rockland Community College – Suffern, New York
- Salt Lake Community College – Salt Lake City, Utah
- San Juan College – Farmington, New Mexico
The returning schools are:
- Central Community College - Grand Island, Nebraska
- Central Piedmont Community College - Charlotte, North Carolina
- Clackamas Community College - Oregon City, Oregon
- Clinton Community College - Clinton, Iowa
- College of Lake County - Grayslake, Illinois
- Columbia Gorge Community College - The Dalles, Oregon
- Community College of Baltimore County - Baltimore, Maryland
- Elizabethtown Community and Technical College - Elizabethtown, Kentucky
- Gateway Technical College - Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Grand Rapids Community College - Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Lone Star College - Houston, Texas
- North Idaho College - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
- Northern Virginia Community College - Annandale, Virginia
- Northwest-Shoals Community College - Muscle Shoals, Alabama
- Pima County Community College - Tucson, Arizona
- Polk State College – Winter Haven, Florida
- Spokane Community College, Spokane, Washington
- Valencia College – Orlando, Florida
- Victor Valley College - Victorville, California
- West Virginia University Parkersburg - Parkersburg, West Virginia
- Westchester Community College – Westchester, New York
- WSU Tech – Wichita, Kansas
- Automation and Robotics
- Automotive Technology
- Aviation
- Computer-Aided Drafting & Design
- Computerized Manufacturing (CNC)
- Construction Technology & Carpentry
- Diesel Technology
- Electrical Engineering
- Healthcare
- Heating & Ventilation (HVAC)
- Heavy Equipment Operator
- Hospitality
- Industrial Maintenance Technology
- Manufacturing & Machining
- Mechanical Design
- Mechatronics Engineering
- Process Technology
- Trucking
- Welding
About All Within My Hands (AWMH)
Established by the members and management of Metallica in 2017 as a means to invest in the people and places that have supported the band, the Foundation is focused on supporting sustainable communities through workforce education, the fight against hunger and other critical local services. All expenses of the Foundation are covered by the band, the board and a few special friends so that 100% of donations go to the organizations it supports. AWMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
About the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)
As the voice of the nation’s community colleges, the AACC delivers educational and economic opportunity for more than 10 million diverse students searching for the American Dream. Uniquely dedicated to access and success for all students, AACC’s nearly 1,100 member colleges provide an on-ramp to degree attainment, skilled careers and family-supporting wages. Located in Washington, D.C., AACC advocates for these not-for-profit, public-serving institutions to ensure they have the resources and support they need to deliver on the mission of increasing economic mobility for all.
Original source can be found here.
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