Most of us craftsmen know how Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe has been raising concerns about how much money is spent in a traditional 4-year college degree. The US Student Loan Debt has been climbing to new heights, now over 1.5 trillion dollars, which will likely take decades to pay off. This is especially concerning when college costs are going up while the value of many traditional degrees are likely declining. And with the labor gap in the trades, there are so many other lucrative opportunities to make money with a job in the trades, which generally don’t require the same kind of debt.
In order to help with this cause, Rowe’s created mikeroweWORKS, a foundation that awards scholarships to students who are interested in the trades. But he’s not the only one with a great scholarship to offer! If you’re interested in working in the trades, here’s some information on his scholarship and others:
mikeroweWORKS
The organization was funded in 2008 and has since awarded over 5 million in scholarships to over 1000 students in 50 states. In conjunction with awarding his scholarship, he wrote the S.W.E.A.T. Pledge, which stands for Skills and Work Ethics Aren’t Taboo, which all applicants to the Work Ethic Scholarship Program must sign. In awarding the scholarship, they look for those who share the values of the pledge, not your test scores.
Pathways to Success
Founded by Oregon Tradeswomen, this program offers an 8-week introductory Trades and Apprenticeships Career Class to prepare for a career in the trades. They give an overview of construction jobs with guest speakers, field trips, and hands-on work days. From there, students can decide if they want to extend their training. Thanks to generous funding from various organizations and donors, the TAC Class is offered at no charge!
Oregon Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC)
They help Oregon students plan and pay for their college and post-high school education. With OSAC, you can get financial support as well as access to scholarships.
More info here…
Individual Trade Organizations
Many of the focused trades, such as the National Electrical Contractors Association, or the American Association of Cost Engineers, many of them have their own organization with scholarships available. Here’s a listing of man of these available for you.
Oregon State Building Trades Council
If you are the son or daughter of an Oregon State Buildings Trades Member, you may apply.
PCC Foundation & Scholarship
We here at Madden have our own endowed scholarship through the PCC Foundation called the Madden Family Endowed Scholarship for students that are majoring in Building Construction Technology. It is our intent to help support education and apprenticeship opportunities in the trades.
If you’re looking for a new job in the trades, or are interested in getting into the trades, and need guidance or scholarship assistance, visit Madden Craftsmen. We can help you find work, guide you to an apprenticeship program, or point you to scholarships or other resources you need.
