LaborForce Media Feature Article | Kerri O’Brien | June 18, 2026
For too long, the skilled trades were treated as the backup plan.
Students were told that success meant a four-year degree. Parents were told that college was the only path to stability. Schools cut shop programs, guidance counselors pushed everyone toward campuses, and too many young people were left with debt instead of direction.
But the country has changed. The moment has changed. And America is rediscovering something union workers have always known: nothing gets built without skilled hands.
Today, the demand for electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, welders, pipefitters, ironworkers, fiber technicians, construction equipment operators, and other tradespeople is not just strong — it is urgent. New data centers, energy projects, manufacturing facilities, transportation upgrades, housing needs, and aging infrastructure have created a national workforce challenge. Artificial intelligence may be the headline, but the physical world still has to be built, wired, cooled, maintained, powered, and protected.
That is why some of the biggest names in business, technology, philanthropy, and workforce development are now investing in skilled trades training. BlackRock, Google, OpenAI, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Meta, The Home Depot Foundation, mikeroweWORKS, and others are putting real money and national attention behind trades careers.
This is more than a scholarship moment. It is a cultural shift.
The country is recognizing that the trades are not a second-choice career. They are high-skill, high-demand, family-supporting careers that build communities and strengthen the middle class. For union apprenticeship programs, nonprofit training centers, high school career programs, and workers looking for a better path, this is a moment to act.
Below are several current scholarship, grant, and workforce training opportunities worth watching and sharing.
BlackRock Future Builders
BlackRock has launched a $100 million philanthropic initiative to expand skilled trades training and support 50,000 American workers. The current Request for Proposals, administered by Jobs for the Future, will deploy $25 million over two funding cycles. Grants range from $500,000 to $1 million.
Eligible applicants include U.S.-based nonprofit organizations, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, that are delivering or supporting skilled trades training. Programs may focus on pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, career navigation, workforce training, wraparound support, or capacity-building. Eligible trades include electrical, HVAC, plumbing, pipefitting, ironwork, insulation, construction equipment operation, and other infrastructure-related trades.
Deadline: July 10, 2026
Apply: https://info.jff.org/blackrock-future-builders-rfp
Press release: https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/newsroom/press-releases/article/corporate-one/press-releases/blackrock-launches-philanthropic-skilled-trades-initiative
Google.org Skilled Trades Commitment
Google.org has announced a $50 million commitment to help train more than 300,000 American workers for skilled trades careers across more than 20 states. The funding supports labor unions, trade associations, and training experts working in fields such as electrical, welding, pipefitting, sheet metal, HVAC, refrigeration, fiber, and manufacturing.
This is not currently a direct individual scholarship application. Workers should watch for opportunities through participating unions, trade associations, apprenticeship programs, and local training providers connected to the initiative.
Learn more: https://blog.google/company-news/outreach-and-initiatives/google-org/skilled-trades/
OpenAI and NABTU Apprenticeship Partnership
OpenAI and North America’s Building Trades Unions have announced a partnership to support and expand training pathways into union construction careers connected to the AI infrastructure buildout. The partnership focuses on union-registered apprenticeship programs, workforce development, labor standards, project safety, and responsible infrastructure expansion.
This is not a direct scholarship application. Interested workers should connect with NABTU-affiliated local building trades councils and registered apprenticeship programs.
Bloomberg Philanthropies National Skilled Trades Initiative
Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a national skilled trades initiative designed to help high school students move into high-wage, in-demand trades careers. The program brings schools, unions, and employers together to provide students with free training, credentials, and stronger pathways into apprenticeships and jobs.
This program is especially relevant for school districts, career and technical education programs, unions, employers, and community partners serving high school students. Individual students should watch for participating schools and local program announcements.
Meta America’s Workforce Academy
Meta has launched America’s Workforce Academy, a no-cost skilled trades training program with an initial $115 million first-year investment. The program supports participants while they learn and guarantees a job for graduates. Graduates earn an industry-recognized NCCER credential and an America’s Workforce Certificate.
Pilot locations include Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Texas. The program is designed for people interested in fast-track careers in trades connected to infrastructure, data centers, and construction.
Apply: https://www.meta.com/AmericasWorkforceAcademy
Learn more: https://about.fb.com/news/2026/06/americas-workforce-academy-free-skilled-trade-training/
mikeroweWORKS Work Ethic Scholarship
The mikeroweWORKS Foundation offers Work Ethic Scholarships for people pursuing training in skilled trades such as welding, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, construction, and other in-demand fields. The program focuses heavily on work ethic, personal responsibility, attitude, and commitment to completing training.
Applicants typically complete an online application, sign the S.W.E.A.T. Pledge, answer short questions, submit a short video, and provide references.
Apply: https://mikeroweworks.org/scholarship/
The Home Depot Foundation Path to Pro Scholarship
The Home Depot Foundation’s Path to Pro Scholarship, offered with SkillPointe Foundation, supports students pursuing skilled trades training at trade colleges or postsecondary programs. It is open to people interested in construction-related trades, including carpentry, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and construction management.
Applications are accepted year-round and reviewed quarterly. Awards are commonly listed at $2,500.
Apply: https://corporate.homedepot.com/page/path-pro-scholarship-programs
Bring Back the Trades Scholarships and Tool Grants
Bring Back the Trades offers student scholarships and tool grant programs for people pursuing careers in the skilled trades. Applicants complete a short application explaining why they deserve support. Tool grant applications are considered for up to six months, and applicants may reapply after six months.
Apply: https://bringbackthetrades.org/scholarship-application/
The Bottom Line
For workers, students, parents, unions, contractors, and training centers, the message is clear: the country needs builders.
The next generation of opportunity will not only be coded in software labs. It will be wired by electricians, welded by ironworkers, piped by plumbers, cooled by HVAC technicians, connected by fiber technicians, and carried forward by apprentices who choose to learn a craft.
This is the time to apply, recruit, train, and tell the story differently. The skilled trades are not just part of America’s past. They are central to America’s future.
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