Coconino Community College receives $750K grant for skilled trade programs
FLAGSTAFF — Coconino Community College is working to train northern Arizona's next generation of skilled workers through their Construction Technology Management programs — which recently received a $750,000 boost from the Lowe's Foundation.
With this grant funding, the college plans to improve and expand its current training programs, remodel its facilities and upgrade equipment, computers and software.
Ken Myers, lead faculty for the trade programs, said the college is planning to invest primarily in the mechanical trades that require technical skills like HVAC, plumbing and electrical.
“If we can get (students) in the door and they can get workforce training within a year and start working with some of these contractors locally, our hope is that we can train them local, keep them local and build that workforce pool,” Myers said.
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The school in Flagstaff was just one of 10 grant recipients nationwide that were part of the first allocation of the Lowe's Foundation Gable Grants, a five-year, $50 million commitment to help prepare 50,000 people for careers in skilled trades.
More than a half-million new skilled tradespeople are needed nationwide, on top of the normal pace of hiring, to meet demand in 2023 alone, according to the foundation.
The grants are = awarded to community and technical colleges because "they know exactly what's needed to solve the local needs of that community," said Gerardo Soto, Lowe's Foundation board member and vice president of Lowe's brand marketing.
"It just makes perfect sense for us to partner with them because we know we’re going to have an impact locally, which is truly what we want," Soto said.
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The demand for workers across northern Arizona is clear, said faculty member Myers, largely due to the increasing demand for more housing. He fields phone calls daily from local contractors looking for skilled workers to join one of the projects underway in the region.
“We’re looking at, in just our neck of the woods, about a 15% increase (in demand for) the building trades,” Myers said.
The existing building trades workforce is aging, and as they prepare to retire, there has not been a concerted effort to bring in the next generation, Myers said.
In an attempt to address this workforce gap, the college has instituted recruitment strategies like visits to high schools and Navajo Nation chapter houses and on-campus facility tours to introduce young people to career options that they might not have previously considered.
“We have an entire generation that’s very close to retirement, and we’ve got to train folks up or we’re going to be in a world of hurt,” said Coconino Community College president Eric Heiser. “So I think it’s super important for the community to know that their community college is the one that is answering the call for that workforce.”
Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Coconino Community College awarded $750K for skilled trade programs
