New Britain toolmaker Stanley Black & Decker will spend up to $25 million on a five-year job training program focused on manufacturing and construction industry skills.
Through the “Empower Makers Global Impact Challenge,” Stanley will award up to $5 million in grants to nonprofits supporting trade workforce development initiatives. Nonprofits can start applying for grants on Oct. 1.
“Over the last several decades, vocational schools and careers in the trades have been overshadowed, despite the excellent, well-paying jobs and career paths they offer,” Stanley CEO Jim Loree said.
Part of Stanley’s corporate social responsibility program, the Empower Makers Global Impact Challenge is operating with a goal to train and reskill 3 million people for construction and manufacturing jobs in the next five years.
Stanley’s grant program comes as the manufacturer has enjoyed multiple quarters of blockbuster sales due to a pandemic-inspired renovation boom, which set in midway through last year as many Americans decided to undertake home improvement projects amid COVID-19 shutdowns.
