Delaware Tech receives $75K for workforce development program

Delaware Technical Community College joined the Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI), created by All Within My Hands (AWMH), a non-profit, philanthropic organization created by the members and management of the rock & roll band, Metallica. Each new college that joins the MSI receives $75,000 to enhance workforce training programs.

“When we launched the Metallica Scholars Initiative, it really spoke to me,” said James “Papa Het” Hetfield, Metallica guitarist and lead singer. “A collective goal of breaking the stigma of trade skills. Trade skills are vital to society, and what’s even more important is to support the many folks who are trying to create a career by learning and using these skills. I am so proud – we all are – to see how this program is changing lives by providing much-needed resources to empower students, and it’s great that we’re able to make our biggest grant yet to support these students and the future workforce. We are reaching even further for year six of the Metallica Scholars Initiative. This year, our program will be in 60 schools in all 50 states! All thanks to your support.”“We are grateful to All Within My Hands and the American Association of Community Colleges for including Delaware Tech as one of the newest members of the Metallica Scholars Initiative,” Delaware Tech President Mark T. Brainard said. “This generous funding will help us deliver on our mission of responding to the needs of Delaware’s employers through workforce training programs for our state’s high-demand jobs.”To date, AWMH has invested over $10.5 million in the American workforce, reaffirming a commitment to career and technical education at the local level. The MSI offers more than 25 fields of study, including construction, healthcare, and engineering.“I am happy to congratulate the newest Metallica Scholarship Initiative colleges. The sustained investment in workforce education by the All Within My Hands Foundation has benefitted thousands of community college students,” Walter G. Bumphus, president and CEO of AACC, said. “This work helps to advance skills education and the nation’s workforce pipeline. We are honored to continue this partnership to provide critical resources that eliminate barriers for students to participate in skills education programs that lead to family-sustaining wage careers.”With this latest addition of 18 colleges into the MSI, AWMH expects to have helped more than 8,000 students with a wide range of backgrounds and ages gain skills to assist in finding meaningful jobs and careers. Metallica Scholars are often considered non-traditional students, as many have families they support or are the first in their families to pursue a college education.