The Metallica Scholars Initiative workforce education program has expanded to over 90 schools in the United States this year with a $3.3 million grant, the largest in its eight-year history.
The Metallica Scholars Initiative benefits trade school students by supporting career and technical education via the band’s All Within My Hands Foundation.
The initiative aims to support education programs such as nursing and healthcare, optical systems technology, automotive repair, maritime manufacturing, firefighting and EMT, pipefitting, and agricultural pathways in city, state, and community colleges.”
Additionally, the program is going international for the first time this year, with the All Within My Hands Foundation serving up a $250,000 grant to establish the Metallica Scholars Initiative in the United Kingdom in partnership with Capital City College Group.
Frontman James Hetfield stated, “This thing started as a dream. Now our program is changing lives. To expand our impact on a global scale and support even more students is so rewarding. We’re so proud of all the Metallica Scholars who have come through it and all the ones who will participate in it. It’s humbling to know we’ve been part of the journey of thousands of trade professionals doing good, hard work in the world.”
Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges, said, “The continued growth of the Metallica Scholars Initiative is a powerful testament to what’s possible when visionary philanthropy and community colleges come together around a shared mission. Through this partnership, 13,000 community college students have already been supported across the country, earning the skills needed for in-demand careers with family-sustaining wages. This latest, generous investment by Metallica’s foundation will reach more learners while strengthening the workforce pipelines that power local economies. We are proud to partner with All Within My Hands to scale this impact, ensuring even more students have access to life-changing opportunities in the skilled trades and beyond.”
On top of the 13,000 students already helped by the work of the Metallica Scholars Initiative, it is expected that this year the program will aid roughly 5,000 more. A full list of all 93 schools can be found here, while you can make donations to Metallica’s All Within My Hands foundation here.
