The San Juan College School of Trades and Technology has been selected to receive $100,000 from “All Within My Hands,” a non-profit foundation established by Metallica.
“It’s specifically to help disadvantaged communities and disadvantaged students be able to perceive and achieve their dreams,” Lorenzo Reye, vice president for Workforce and Economic Development at San Juan College told KOB.
The grant covers building trades which is construction, and also covers welding students, drafting and GIS, according to Ruben Johnson, dean of Trades and Technology. One hundred students also received $500 and new gear, all courtesy of Metallica.
“It’s just proof that people have our back and it’s just letting me know that people care about students in this program that are working with what little they have,” Preston Jones, a trade student at the college, per KOB.
There is a shortage of trade workers throughout the nation, making it important to support institutions like the San Juan College School of Trades and Technology.
“Most of the people that were in the trades were baby boomers and they have retired, and we have many needs that we need to fill at this point,” Zach Pettijohn, Building Trades assistant professor, said.
According to allwithinmyhands.org, "All Within My Hands is a non-profit, philanthropic organization created by the members and management of Metallica, dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services. The Metallica Scholars Initiative partnered with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), has grown to 23 across the United States, supporting a variety of career and technical education programs through a total of $4.1 million in grants.
Meanwhile, San Juan College (SJC), founded in 1956, is a two-year higher education institution that offers academic, career, and technical education, according to its website. SJC provides quality education to approximately 10,000 students seeking academic credit programs through face-to-face and online classes each year.