AACC is partnering with Metallica’s All Within My Hands on the Metallica Scholars Initiative. This national effort will continue to promote and showcase career and technical education as a pathway to well-paying jobs.
“The fact that you’re working, trying to work, trying to find the path that works best for you – that should be the ultimate goal and most respected thing. So, putting the options out there for people: trade schools, community colleges, even [helping provide] gas money to get to and from school – there are many things you can help with.” – James Hetfield, Vocalist/Guitarist, Metallica.
AACC and AWMH believe this is a uniquely positioned effort that will:
- Provide support of relevant job skill training for community college students.
- Reinvest in the communities that supported Metallica by connecting students to skill-building opportunities that bridge the talent needs of employers using the community college system.
- Leverage the influence of the leadership of Metallica to elevate the importance and dignity of career and technical education.
In 2019, AACC and AWMH provided 10 colleges with $100,000 each to support student accessibility through scholarships for tuition offset, student safety gear and learning materials, etc.
Metallica Scholars Initiative colleges:
- Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Clackamas Community College, Oregon City, Oregon
- College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
- Community College of Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland
- Gateway Technical College, Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Lone Star College, The Woodlands, Texas
- North Idaho College, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
- Spokane Community College, Spokane, Washington
- Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology, Wichita, Kansas
This initiative proved successful with more than 700 Metallica Scholars with 80-90% program completion rate, and 95% job placement for those Metallica Scholars who completed their certifications/studies. Hear more from the students who were affected by this initiative.
In 2020, AACC and AWMH partnered again to expand the Metallica Scholars Initiative. In addition to the 10 colleges listed above, five new grantees joined the initiative:
- Alvin Community College, Alvin, TX
- Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, Elizabethtown, KY
- Polk State College, Winter Haven, FL
- Valencia College, Orlando, FL
- Westchester Community College, Valhalla, NY
The Metallica Scholars Initiative, now in its third year, has fundamentally improved the earning potential for students who become Metallica Scholars. The success of the program prompted AWMH to add more colleges in 2021. Nine new schools will receive $100k each as they join the growing list of community colleges in the Metallica Scholars program!
- Central Community College, Grand Island, NE
- Clinton Community College, Clinton, IA
- Columbia Gorge Community College, The Dalles, OR
- Hartnell College, Salinas, CA
- Northwest-Shoals Community College, Muscle Shoals, AL
- Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale, VA
- Pima County Community College, Tucson, AZ
- Victor Valley College, Victorville, CA
- West Virginia University Parkersburg, Parkersburg, WV
Watch the Metallica Scholars Initiative Cohort II Launch meeting that took place on May 11, 2020: https://vimeo.com/418425070
Watch the webinar Marketing Opportunities to Leverage the Visibility of the Metallica Scholars Initiative in Local Markets that took place on June 12, 2020: https://vimeo.com/428648968
Keep up to date on the Metallica Scholars Initiative by following AACC’s CC Daily and social media, and All Within My Hands for updated stories.
For more information, please contact one of our team members:
- Jen Worth, Senior Vice President, Workforce and Economic Development at jworth@aacc.nche.edu
- Katya Nekrasova, Senior Manager, Grants and Programs at enekrasova@aacc.nche.edu