A $1 million grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation will expand access to construction education at Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in Nebraska. The grant includes $750,000 for improvements supporting construction education and $250,000 in scholarships for students pursuing these programs.
In addition, a $250,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to HomeWoven, a nonprofit focused on housing stability, will support the construction of affordable homes in South Omaha. At the same time, it will create an expanded internship program with MCC, enabling students to learn on the job through hands-on housing development experience.
The investment comes as both employer demand and student interest in construction-related careers continue to rise. At MCC, enrollment demand in construction-related programs continues to exceed available capacity.
The partnership between MCC, Wells Fargo and HomeWoven was announced during an event at the MCC Construction Education Center. A panel discussion featuring Mike Rowe, CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation and creator and host of the TV program “Dirty Jobs,” discussed the need for growing the skilled workforce.
“One of the greatest advantages of a career in the trades is the way one opportunity often leads to another, sometimes unexpectedly,” Rowe told students during the panel talk. “And remember, the future for a skilled tradesman in America has never been brighter or more secure than right now. Also, avoid unnecessary debt and start saving, starting right now.”
Arkansas
Arkansas State University–Mountain Home (ASUMH) has announced the creation of the Dr. Roger Simons Promise Scholarship, an investment that will expand access to higher education for graduates of four North Central Arkansas school districts.
The scholarship is made possible through a gift from Dr. Roger Simons and will establish Promise scholarship opportunities for eligible graduates of local high schools who choose to attend ASUMH. The last-dollar scholarship will go into effect with the 2027 graduating class.
“Dr. Simons could have chosen many ways to invest these resources. Instead, he chose to invest in people — young women and men he may never meet. And because of that decision, lives will be changed,” said ASUMH Chancellor Bentley Wallace.
Colorado
Front Range Community College has received a $250,000 grant from the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) through its fiscal year 27 Innovations in Career and Technical Education Grant.
The college will use the funding to implement new hand and robotic laser welding training and introduce students to robots, cobots and advanced CAD/CAM equipment. The CCCS awarded nearly $2 million in grants to support 11 CTE projects across the state.
NASA grants
NASA has awarded Antelope Valley College and Arapahoe Community College grants through its new NASA Aerospace Skilled Technical Workforce Hubs initiative.
The $1.3 million grant to Arapahoe Community College will boost the college’s Colorado Space Institute and support collaboration among Colorado Community College System institutions, industry partners, workforce agencies and NASA to strengthen the state’s aerospace talent pipeline.
In California, Antelope Valley College will serve as the lead institution for the Southern California NASA Aerospace Skilled Technical Workforce Hub. In partnership with Pasadena City College and MiraCosta College, the three-year regional consortium will strengthen Southern California’s aerospace workforce pipeline.
In total, NASA awarded approximately $10.5 million to seven institutions to help strengthen and streamline state-based pathways for students into jobs in the aerospace industry.
Pennsylvania
A $300,390 grant will help launch the new Manufacturing Pathways Initiative at Delaware County Community College. The Chappell Culpeper Family Foundation awarded the grant to the college’s educational foundation.
The new initiative is a comprehensive education-to-employment model designed to strengthen the Greater Philadelphia manufacturing workforce while expanding access to family-sustaining careers through free training.
The grant aims to support low-income individuals who face barriers to education and employment. It will enable DCCC to offer a tuition-free pathway that moves students from GED preparation through industry-aligned technical certificates and the option — immediately or in the future — to continue into an associate degree in applied science. Students will be able to integrate GED instruction and preparation with either a 34-credit computer numerical control manufacturing certificate or a 15-credit computer-aided drafting certificate.
Texas
Three Texas community college districts have received grants through the state’s Nursing Innovation Grant Program (NIGP), which supports new and expanded projects that improve or extend nursing programs. The awards fund innovative prelicensure educational programs for nursing students and expand healthcare workforce capacity across the state.
The Tarrant County College District (TCC) will use a $735,134 grant to support Trailblazing to Practice, an initiative that builds a guided, stackable pathway from entry-level healthcare training to an RN-BSN completion track. The project is designed for students who apply to TCC’s associate degree in nursing program but do not initially meet admission criteria, giving them an alternative on-ramp into nursing education and, ultimately, employment.
“This grant strengthens one of the most important pipelines we have in North Texas: the pipeline of skilled nurses who care for our families, our neighbors,” said TCC Chancellor Elva LeBlanc.
San Antonio College, part of the Alamo Colleges District, and Austin Community College also received grants of about $750,000.
In total, the state awarded more than $5.6 million in grants to eight Texas colleges and universities.
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A $760,847 gift to Amarillo College (AC) athletics will benefit the AC volleyball program. The Terk family made the gift to the Amarillo College Foundation.
“This gift is truly transformational for Amarillo College volleyball,” said Scott Sandel, AC volleyball coach. “It gives us an opportunity to invest in our student-athletes in ways that will have an impact well beyond the volleyball court.”
Of the total funding, $250,000 will go toward establishing the Madison Kellogg Endowed Volleyball Scholarship, which honors Madison Kellogg, a former AC volleyball player. The scholarship will support volleyball student-athletes who demonstrate those qualities both in the classroom and on the court.
The Madison Kellogg Volleyball Support Fund ($250,000) will provide additional resources for the volleyball program and enhance opportunities for student-athletes.
And the Michael and Cindy Terk Athletic Support Fund ($260,847) will support AC student-athletes as they pursue academic and athletic excellence while developing character, resilience, discipline, leadership and a strong work ethic.
Amarillo College also has received a $500,000 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to expand welding training, create new workforce credentials and strengthen industry partnerships.
The two-year Texas Invests in Meaningful Employment (TIME) grant will support AC’s industry and skilled trades programs at East Campus, with a focus on stainless steel and aluminum welding, curriculum enhancements, faculty development and student support.
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Houston City College (HCC) has received a $103,000 investment from NRG Energy, Inc., to expand apprenticeship opportunities that prepare students for careers in the Texas energy sector. Specifically, the investment will expand HCC’s apprenticeship pathways in instrumentation and controls.
“Demand for skilled labor continues to grow, and we’re always looking for strong partnerships to help develop the talent needed to meet the challenges facing the energy industry,” said Matthew Pistner, president of NRG Wholesale.
The NRG announcement comes amid broader efforts to strengthen the workforce pipeline, including Bloomberg Philanthropies’ $17 million investment with HCC to expand apprenticeships, skilled trades training and dual-credit opportunities for high school students, and the Lowe’s Foundation Gables Grant to expand local training programs for high-demand skilled trades.
