GILES CO., Va. – The Giles County Technology Center is one of 15 schools nationwide to receive a $25,000 grant from Carhartt through its “For the Love of Labor” program to support career and technical education programs.
“I’m going to take these skills, go right out of high school, get myself a good paying job, start with life. It’s all things I learned from here.” Said Jackson Williams, a Junior student at the Giles County Technology Center
Jimmy McCroskey, the building tech instructor said of the gift, “We’re going to take what they have granted us, and we’re going to take it and run with it and provide it for the Giles County students.”
The For the Love of Labor program aims to equip students with the tools and training they need to leave school ready for the workforce. $8,000 of the grant will buy new tools for students in trade programs and the remaining $17,000 will be used in the building shop.
The Career and Technical Education programs are the perfect avenue for students to explore career options. So now those who do not want to go to college can finish high school with a diploma. . . And a trade.
“I like building things and watch them come up with my hands. Like we built a project a week ago.” Said Williams, ”we built the platform ourselves, put the walls up, plumbed it, insulated it, we ran a wire through it. It was nice to see all that come up from my own hands.”
CTE (Career and Technical Education) Programs are currently more vital than ever. With an immense number of American Construction and Manufacturing jobs currently unfulfilled.
“We have a major skills trade gap, in the U.S., roughly six hundred fifty thousand jobs unsigned at this moment in time.” Said McCroskey ”These kids, I think with this program can run with it and try to fill the construction and manufacturing problems that we have in the U.S.”
And the students are aware of the need in the construction and manufacturing industries as well.
“Hearing lots of things about that, the employment rate going down, and job opportunities going up, I thought it was really good time for me to get into the trades.” Said Williams, ”I feel there’s a lot of money to be made in that field.”
Along with the grant money, Giles County Technology Center will also receive curriculum that can have the students certified in a trade through their coursework. So for those who enroll they’ll be sure to graduate workforce ready.