We are pleased to announce that the mikeroweWORKS Foundation continues to support Career & Technical Education in the construction industry by awarding tool 
scholarships to students enrolled in AED Accredited and Affiliated construction equipment technology academic programs. These are our construction equipment maintenance and repair technicians of the future. In 2013, a total of $54,000 in tools scholarships will be awarded; fifty-four graduating students will each receive a $1,000 scholarship. Given the significant cost of acquiring a proper set of high-quality tools, these scholarships are a big help to students entering an equipment technician career.
The 2013 scholarships mark the third year of this unique scholarship program. In just the first two years, tool scholarships were awarded to 76 students. It’s just one of the many “hands on” ways that Mike Rowe, thru the efforts of his foundation, is addressing workforce development challenges in the construction industry. The industry offers a number of great career possibilities where demand exceeds the supply of qualified applicants. The mikeroweWORKS Foundation is focused on helping students to become aware of construction careers, and align their skills and knowledge with these opportunities.
Spend a little time at www.mikeroweworks.com to learn more about Mike Rowe’s passion for construction industry workforce development and his “no nonsense” approach. Get a good perspective of the breadth and depth of his commitment. Here, many resources are also available to provide students with information and help them explore their career options.
Established in 1919, Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) is an international trade association based in Oak Brook, IL, representing over 800 construction equipment distributors, manufacturers and industry-service firms in North America. AED and The AED Foundation would like to express our sincere thanks to Mr.Rowe and the people at the mikeroweWORKS Foundation for everything they are doing on behalf of workforce development in the construction industry, including these tools scholarships.
Mike Rowe is the creator and host of the widely-watched and acclaimed show “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel. I’m sure you have also seen him on television and the web talking about his relationships with Ford Motor Company, Caterpillar, Inc., Cat Footwear, Master Lock and Kimberly-Clark. What you may not know is that Mike is dedicated to promoting the skilled trades, including our construction-related industries, in an effort to address image and workforce issues. Through his website, mikeroweWORKS.com, young and not-so-young alike are exposed to the great industry we work in, are given lots of resources to help make informed choices as to career and technical job options and information as to where they may find schools and financial aid to help them achieve their goals. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to visit www.mikeroweWORKS.com for yourself. The site will give you an idea of the broad scope of his mission. As is evident by his involvement with “I Make America” (www.imakeamerica.com) and “Go Build” campaigns (www.gobuildalabama.com and www.gobuildgeorgia.com) and the continuing work of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, Mike is not just talking about things, he is doing them!
Article Date: 11-01-2012
Source: The AED Foundation
