HCEF creating a new skilled-trades growth scholarship fund
With skilled trades continuing to gain traction as a quality employment opportunity, Holmes County Education Foundation has begun to create a new scholarship to aid students wishing to pursue a skilled trade.
What do carpenters, plumbers, electricians, heavy-equipment operators, painters, auto mechanics and machinists have in common, other than they are all forms of employment?
Each of these jobs and many others like them are all forms of skilled trades, and in a world where young people are coming out of college, wondering where they might find gainful employment, skilled-trade jobs are in high demand. Not only that, they continue to provide strong income.
While the cost of a four-year degree in higher education continues to soar, one option that has become more enticing to graduating seniors and others has been to turn to the realm of skilled trades.
Far less expensive and less time-consuming, trade schools are providing plenty of workforce options to students who want to learn valuable skills that will probably be needed forever in society.
In honor of its 30th anniversary, the Holmes County Education Foundation is developing the Holmes County Employee Growth Skilled-Trades Scholarship, attempting to raise $30,000 to put toward a scholarship that would help young people earn degrees in the trade field.
According to Darla Stitzlein, HCEF executive director, today’s workforce is evolving more and more toward skill-based opportunities, and the HCEF wants to evolve with it as these types of skilled-trades jobs continue to be in high demand.
Stitzlein said the trustees are excited about connecting this new scholarship to the HCEF’s 30th anniversary, which is where the $30,000 goal came from.
“There continues to be a greater emphasis put on trade schools and the jobs they can provide for graduates,” Stitzlein said. “There used to be this stigma that accompanied trade schools; however, I think people are recognizing the value and importance of these roles in today’s society. These are skilled professions that we all rely on from time to time. These types of trades jobs have become more important and attractive to people as they seek employment opportunities, and as the cost of traditional college continues to increase, trade schools are becoming more and more popular since the initial investment is not as great as a traditional college tuition and the pay scale once they graduate trade school is fantastic.”
The scholarship will benefit students who are pursuing skilled trades. To date, the HCEF has received more than $10,000 toward its goal.
Stitlzein said many area businesses have been giving to the fund, in the realization that in creating opportunities for those interested in the trades to pursue higher education, those same people will come back and serve a vital role in the business community.
This new scholarship will complement two other scholarships that have been recently created to meet the growing demand for skilled-trades professionals.
“This new scholarship will help fill a need in our community, for both employers and employees,” Stitzlein said. “While we do have some scholarships that include skilled trades, our trustees felt it was important to create a scholarship fund designed specifically for the trades. It could be a graduate or an adult wanting to explore the trades. We have definitely seen a need out there.”
Stitzlein said while many people envision younger graduates applying for the scholarships, it is open to adults who feel a desire to pursue a trade field.
“They would follow the same procedures as our graduating seniors,” Stitzlein said of nontraditional scholarship hopefuls. “We promote that every year, but so many adults don’t have the information and they don’t realize these types of scholarships are available to them as well. We are available to all Holmes County residents, and we can help anyone walk through the process.”
If anyone would like to donate to the new scholarship, they may do so by calling the HCEF at 330-674-7303 or visiting the website at www.hcef.net. Checks may be mailed to Holmes County Education Foundation, 114 N. Clay St., Millersburg, OH 44654, with the words “Skilled-Trade” written on the memo line.