Gateway Technical College has been awarded its second Metallica Scholars Initiative grant funded by Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation, this time to provide computer numeric control training.
Gateway is one of 10 community colleges from across the country to receive a second round of grant funding aimed at supporting students training to enter the American workforce. The foundation will award Gateway $50,000 and the college must come up with a $50,000 matching amount.
These students will become the second cohort of Metallica Scholars.
“Gateway is thrilled to continue working with Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation to provide educational opportunities for our community,” said Matt Janisin, Gateway vice president, Business and Workforce Solutions Division.
“The band's support of the Metallica Scholars program is awesome and helps us engage students and provides a platform to showcase technical programs that lead to great careers.”
The grant will pay for training provided to male students housed in an area Wisconsin Department of Corrections transitional facility to help them to gain the skills to enter a computer numeric control – or CNC – career upon their release. The college chose the manufacturing industry because it is the largest employer in the area and faces a shortage of trained CNC workers.
Students who complete the program will earn a 13-credit Gateway CNC Operator Certificate, eight additional Gateway credits, several industry certifications and training in the “soft skills” areas area employers seek.
Year Two of the Metallica Scholars Initiative will add five more community colleges, bringing the total number of schools to 15. It will also receive matching grants from new partners supplementing All Within My Hands’ cumulative $1.5 million contribution.
“Our 2019 Metallica Scholars have exceeded expectations and inspired us in more ways than we could have possibly imagined,” said Metallica’s Lars Ulrich. “We’re really excited to be able to expand the initiative in its second year, assisting more students in achieving their dreams and transforming their lives in 2020.”
“The impact of the Metallica Scholars Initiative has been extremely gratifying,” said Edward Frank, executive director of All Within My Hands. “We are indebted to all the schools, the AACC, and co-sponsors for their dedication to making this program successful and their help in changing the lives of so many people. This transformative effect is exactly what the band and the board had hoped for when we started this program.”
“The colossal reputation of Metallica has given these colleges, and the trades they are supporting, new life and attention,” said Jennifer Worth, AACC senior vice president, Workforce and Economic Development.
The Metallica Scholars Initiative was created through a partnership between the band’s All Within My Hands foundation (AWMH) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), a Washington, D.C.-based organization representing the country’s more than 1,000 community colleges. Ten colleges from communities that had supported Metallica during its recent U.S. tours were selected via a competitive application process, each receiving $100,000 toward programs designed to support students training to enter the American workforce.
This major workforce education initiative provides direct support to community colleges to enhance their career and technical education programs.
Gateway Technical College collaborates with communities in Kenosha, Racine and Walworth counties to ensure economic growth and viability by providing education, training, leadership and technological resources to meet the changing needs of students, employers and communities.
The All Within My Hands Foundation was established in 2017 by Metallica as a means to invest in the people and places that have supported the band. It also provides a mechanism for Metallica’s fans to become engaged in philanthropy and volunteerism. The foundation is focused on supporting sustainable communities through workforce education (in addition to combatting hunger through an alliance with Feeding America), and is fully supported by the band, the AWMH board, and by fans. All expenses of the foundation are covered by the band, the board, and a few special friends, so that 100% of donations go to the organizations it supports. AWMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. For more information, please visit www.allwithinmyhands.org.
As the voice of the nation’s community colleges, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), delivers educational and economic opportunity for 12 million diverse students in search of the American Dream. Uniquely dedicated to access and success for all students, AACC’s nearly 1,200 member colleges provide an on-ramp to degree attainment, skilled careers and family-supporting wages. Located in Washington, D.C., AACC advocates for these not-for-profit, public-serving institutions to ensure they have the resources and support they need to deliver on the mission of increasing economic mobility for all.
