RI: CC of Rhode Island to Expand Skilled Trades Training with $1M from Lowe’s Foundation

The Community College of Rhode Island is expanding hands-on training programs in high-demand trades, supported by a $1M grant from the Lowe’s Foundation, reports RINewsToday.com. The grant will allow for new programs in appliance repair and advanced manufacturing programs along with new training opportunities for second-chance learners.

“Being chosen by the Lowe’s Foundation is an extraordinary recognition of CCRI’s commitment to building strong career pathways in the skilled trades. With this investment, we will equip our students with the tools and technology they need to thrive—and help meet Rhode Island’s growing demand for a highly trained workforce,” said Rosemary A. Costigan, Ph.D., RN, President of the Community College of Rhode Island.  

The grants will help build the next generation of skilled tradespeople. According to the National Association of Homebuilders, the skilled labor gap drives a $10 billion annual economic loss in the housing industry.

Cities and towns in Rhode Island had only issued 1.27 residential building permits per 1,000 residents in 2021, the lowest rate nationwide, according to U.S. Census data. CCRI’s initiative will help address this critical workforce gap.

The Lowe’s Foundation has awarded $7 million in strategic grants to 12 community colleges across the country to enhance skilled trades education, which will use the funding to expand programs in high-demand fields critical to local economies and increasingly reliant on technical, job-ready graduates.

The Lowe’s Foundation’s 12 new Gable Grants for community and technical colleges to help solve America’s critical skilled trades worker shortage expands the foundation’s nationwide network of Gable Grants recipients to 60 organizations, each delivering scalable pathways into high-demand trades careers.

“Collectively, we are writing a comeback story for the skilled trades industry,” said Janice Dupré, Lowe’s executive vice president of human resources and chair of the Lowe’s Foundation. “Through our Gable Grants network, these schools join a community of innovators helping one another effectively recruit, train and employ the people America needs to revitalize our infrastructure.”

Since launching the Gable Grants program in 2023, the foundation has invested $43 million across 28 states. The grants are part of a five-year, $50 million commitment to help community and technical colleges and nonprofits recruit, train and prepare 50,000 trades professionals across carpentry and construction, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and property maintenance.