Lowe's Commitment to Education and Skilled Trades Development
Lowe's Companies has demonstrated a significant commitment to education and the development of skilled trades through various initiatives and partnerships. These programs aim to support both its associates and the broader community by providing access to educational opportunities, addressing the skilled trades gap, and investing in the future workforce.
Investing in Employee Education
Lowe's recognizes that its success is linked to the growth and development of its associates. To that end, Lowe's offers a comprehensive education program designed to provide associates with opportunities for personal and professional advancement.
Debt-Free Education Program: In partnership with Guild, Lowe's provides debt-free tuition assistance to associates seeking to earn undergraduate certificates or degrees. The program also includes English language learning, high school completion, or college prep programs.
Flexible and Supportive Learning Environment: Recognizing the demands of working adults, the education program features flexible classes, fully covered textbooks and course fees, and one-on-one support from Guild coaches. These features are designed to accommodate busy schedules and provide the necessary resources for success.
Tuition Reimbursement Program: In addition to the debt-free program, Lowe's offers a long-standing tuition reimbursement program, reimbursing associates up to $2,500 annually for education expenses.
Read also: Tuition Reimbursement at Lowe's
Track to the Trades: Lowe's also offers Track to the Trades, a company-funded pre-apprentice certificate program designed to help associates pursue careers in the skilled trades. Lowe's covers 100 percent of tuition for Track to the Trade diplomas in various fields, including HVAC, solar, commercial HVAC, appliance repair, multi-family facilities management, electrical, and plumbing. Up to 4,000 part-time and full-time associates each year can benefit from this program.
Kelly Pennington, a scheduling and staffing administrator at Lowe's in Madison, Tennessee, exemplifies the benefits of these educational opportunities. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree in behavioral science through online courses with Wilmington University and believes she can apply her education to her work at Lowe's.
Partnerships with Educational Institutions
Lowe's actively collaborates with various educational institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), to expand access to education and support student success.
Paul Quinn College: Lowe's has invested significantly in Paul Quinn College, America's only Urban Work College. A $1 million investment will support the enhancement and expansion of student housing at the Trammell S. Crow Living and Learning Center and its student housing capacity and experience at PQC - Plano, where students participate in the Corporate Work Program. This investment follows a previous gift of $1.5 million to establish the Lowe's Retail Management major, a unique curriculum developed by Paul Quinn and Lowe's to provide students with leadership skills for retail and commercial management environments. Students who complete the program will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Retail Management.
Queens University: Lowe's is providing a $2.5 million grant to Queens University that will provide tuition scholarships for Lowe’s cohort business students in the university’s new Charlotte Talent Initiative program.
Read also: Employee Benefits at Lowe's
North Carolina Central University (NCCU): NCCU will receive a $1.5 million investment from Lowe’s to support the construction and completion of NCC’s business school.
Sampson Community College (SCC): Lowe’s is investing $500,000 in Sampson Community College. SCC will apply the donation to student scholarships and the creation of a trades school on campus that will help improve student access to Construction and Home Improvement programs.
LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC): Lowe’s is providing a $1 million gift to LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC) to support an emergency scholarship program, cybersecurity program scholarships, and health and wellness improvements.
Tennessee State University (TSU): Another $1 million dollars is also being committed by Lowe’s to Tennessee State University to invest in student scholarships and curriculum programs, including online retail courses and case studies in supply chain management.
Lowe's Foundation Gable Grants
The Lowe's Foundation is committed to supporting skilled trades workforce development initiatives through its Gable Grants program. This five-year, $50 million commitment aims to prepare 50,000 people for skilled trades careers.
Read also: Career Growth Opportunities at Lowe's
Grant Recipients: The Lowe's Foundation has awarded grants to numerous community and technical colleges to support their skilled trades programs. These grants will fund new facilities, instructors, accreditation programs, and equipment for carpentry and construction, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and appliance repair training.
Examples of Grant Projects:
- Baton Rouge Community College (Baton Rouge, Louisiana): Expand skilled trades and develop a residential plumbing training program while establishing a state-of-the-art Construction Trades Outdoor Learning Lab.
- Central Maine Community College (Auburn, Maine): Expand programming in residential electrical construction.
- Central Piedmont Community College (Charlotte, North Carolina): Significantly increase capacity for skilled trades training and construction-related certifications, including renovating lab space and bringing mobile learning cottages to other campuses and into the community.
- Community College of Baltimore County (Baltimore): Enhance skilled trades programing with an expansion of the college's HVAC and building maintenance programs.
- Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation and Maricopa County Community College District (Tempe, Arizona): Partner to enhance skilled trades programs at Mesa Community College, South Mountain Community College and Rio Salado College.
- Midlands Technical College (Columbia, South Carolina): Expand its Building Construction Technology Program through new training space, faculty support, tools and equipment.
- Mountwest Community and Technical College (Huntington, West Virginia): Expand its Apprenticeship Readiness and JumpStart Pre-Apprenticeship programs that provide dual credit to high school students.
- Southeast Community College (Lincoln, Nebraska): Expand its UPWARD prison education program to include construction, electrical/electromechanical, HVAC and plumbing. These programs will be launched at the Nebraska State Penitentiary.
- Valencia College (Orlando, Florida): Launch an accelerated plumbing program designed to help individuals in Central Florida complete training in this high-demand field.
- Wilkes Community College (Wilkesboro, North Carolina): Address the local housing shortage by enhancing its residential Building Construction Technology program.
- Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (Fitzgerald, Georgia): Build a 53-foot mobile construction trailer and hire an instructor to provide educational training in a variety of residential and commercial trades to graduating high school seniors, adult learners, and individuals enrolled in Georgia Department of Corrections education programs.
- Coconino County Community College (Arizona): Expand its skilled trades training programs in construction, HVAC, plumbing and electrical. The school plans to remodel its workshop to create more lab space for students, upgrade equipment, computers and software, and hire additional instructors.
- Columbus Technical College (Georgia): Expand its reach with a new mobile unit to bring skilled trades training opportunities to students in rural communities, justice-involved learners and transitioning service members.
- Howard College - San Angelo (Texas): Build a new center for its pre-apprenticeship electrical program and its soon-to-be-developed plumbing program, which will be the only plumbing program offered by a college in West Texas.
- Ivy Tech Community College (Indiana): Develop a short-term, HVAC skills training pilot program for entry-level technicians and provide unique training opportunities for justice-involved individuals. Across seven campuses, Ivy Tech will increase the number of HVAC graduates prepared to enter the construction industry.
- Miami Dade College (Florida): Launch new programs in construction, HVAC and electrical through its Construction Trade Institute.
- MiraCosta College (California): Develop two HVAC and electrician certification programs with state-of-the-art equipment and supplies.
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (Mississippi): Establish a construction trades training program for learners at a local correctional facility and provide scholarships and internships for students in its skilled trades training programs.
- Palm Beach State College (Florida): Expand its Construction Trade Center for Workforce Innovation to provide simulated trainings that create “real world” experiences for students entering the trades workforce.
- Southside Virginia Community College (Virginia): Renovate its lab in South Hill to provide training space and technical equipment to prepare students to enter the workforce as electrical and HVAC technicians.
Lowe's Commitment to Community Development
Lowe's actively supports the communities it serves through programs focused on creating safe, affordable housing and helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts.
About Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company serving approximately 19 million customer transactions a week in the United States and Canada. With fiscal year 2021 sales of over $96 billion, Lowe's and its related businesses operate or service nearly 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores and employ over 300,000 associates. Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's is committed to supporting the communities it serves through various initiatives and investments.
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