Lowe’s Foundation Makes Another Big Investment in Skilled Trades Training

Workforce Development
Published

The Lowe’s Foundation recently announced nearly $8 million in Gable Grants to a second cohort of community and technical colleges. Since awarding its first grants one year ago, the foundation has assisted in expanding skilled trades career pathways through its growing network of 35 community colleges and nonprofits in rural and urban communities across 27 states.

"With enrollments rising at vocationally focused schools, these community colleges are blossoming arenas for entrepreneurship and economic mobility," said Janice Dupré, Lowe’s executive vice president of human resources and chair of the Lowe’s Foundation. "Each college has a clear, inspired vision for closing the trades gap in its community, and we’re pleased to welcome them to our larger movement."

From funding new skilled trades facilities and instructors to accreditation programs, the grants will support carpentry and construction, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and appliance repair training.

The latest Lowe’s Foundation Gable Grants support the following community colleges:

  • Baton Rouge Community College (Baton Rouge, La.) will expand its skilled trades and develop a residential plumbing training program while establishing a state-of-the-art Construction Trades Outdoor Learning Lab. The lab will simulate real-world construction scenarios, allowing students to deepen their understanding of theoretical concepts while honing practical skills.
  • Central Maine Community College (Auburn, Maine) will expand its programming in residential electrical construction. The grant will support new tools, machinery and lab space for programs providing construction-based certificates and degrees, as well as short-term workforce training.
  • Central Piedmont Community College (Charlotte, N.C.) will significantly increase its capacity for skilled trades training and construction-related certifications. Infrastructure support includes renovating lab space and bringing mobile learning cottages to other campuses and into the community. The mobile learning cottages will remove transportation barriers and bring new training opportunities in construction, electrical, HVAC and plumbing training throughout Charlotte.
  • Community College of Baltimore County (Baltimore) will enhance its skilled trades programming with an expansion of the college’s HVAC and building maintenance programs. This includes modernizing labs and equipment and expanding course offerings to equip students with the skills they need to succeed in today’s job market.
  • Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation and Maricopa County Community College District (Tempe, Ariz.) will partner to enhance skilled trades programs at three community colleges: Mesa Community College, South Mountain Community College and Rio Salado College. Resources will be allocated for new faculty, recruitment, stipends and upgraded training facilities to accommodate workforce demands.
  • Midlands Technical College (Columbia, S.C.) will expand its Building Construction Technology Program through new training space, faculty support, tools and equipment. MTC is the comprehensive technical college for the Midlands of South Carolina, serving over 25,000 students annually with an economic impact over $1 billion.
  • Mountwest Community and Technical College (Huntington, W. Va.) will expand its Apprenticeship Readiness and JumpStart Pre-Apprenticeship programs that provide dual credit to high school students. The college will also launch a training program for students to earn OSHA Forklift Certifications, offering six courses in its first year.
  • Southeast Community College (Lincoln, Neb.) will expand its UPWARD prison education program to include construction, electrical/electromechanical, HVAC and plumbing. These programs will be launched at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. They will allow participants to earn credentials in multiple career programs and return to their communities empowered to be meaningfully employed and help meet the skilled workforce needs in these industries.
  • Valencia College (Orlando, Fla.) will launch an accelerated plumbing program designed to help individuals in Central Florida complete training in this high-demand field. Program graduates will earn nationally recognized industry certifications to meet the region’s skilled trades workforce needs.
  • Wilkes Community College (Wilkesboro, N.C.) will address the local housing shortage by enhancing its residential Building Construction Technology program. It will also introduce an Electrical Systems diploma this fall and expand lab space to increase student capacity.
  • Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (Fitzgerald, Ga.) will build a 53-foot mobile construction trailer and hire an instructor to provide educational training in a variety of residential and commercial trades to graduating high school seniors, adult learners, and individuals enrolled in Georgia Department of Corrections education programs. The 53-foot trailer will remove transportation barriers for hundreds of students and host an “industry ready” program to help combat the construction workforce shortage in rural south Georgia.

The nearly $8 million investment is the latest in the Lowe’s Foundation’s five-year, $50 million commitment to support the training of 50,000 people for skilled trades careers. Since 2023, the Lowe’s Foundation has awarded over $25 million in Gable Grants to expand innovative and scalable skilled trades training across the U.S.

The next Gable Grant application cycle for community-based nonprofits will run from Aug. 1 to Aug. 31. To learn more, visit lowes.com/foundation.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Digital Media

Sep 22, 2025

What Do You Predict for the Housing Industry in 2026?

What will 2026 bring for your business? Share your insights and predictions for the coming year by completing Pro Builder’s 2026 Housing Forecast Survey by Oct. 8.

Workforce Development

Sep 22, 2025

9 Strong Associate Job Fields to Consider as a Career Path

With salaries on the rise and plenty of available jobs, now is a great time for students or for anyone looking to make a career changes to pursue a career in construction.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Sep 18, 2025

Women in Construction Reach Highest Share in Two Decades

In 2024, the number of women employed in the construction industry rose to around 1.34 million. Women now represent 11.2% of the construction workforce, the highest share in the past 20 years. This rise aligns with the growing presence of white-collar jobs in the industry.

Economics

Sep 17, 2025

The Fed Cuts and Projects More Easing to Come

After a monetary policy pause that began at the start of 2025, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee (FOMC) voted to reduce the short-term federal funds rate by 25 basis points at the conclusion of its September meeting. This move decreased the target federal funds rate to an upper rate of 4.25%.

Economics

Sep 17, 2025

Housing Starts Remain Soft Ahead of Fed Meeting

Challenging affordability conditions continue to act as headwinds for the housing industry, but the sector could see lower interest rates in the near future with the Federal Reserve expected to cut short-term interest rates this afternoon.