[Orlando, FL] – Valencia College is proud to announce its selection as one of the community colleges invited to join the prestigious Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI) for the sixth straight year. Over the past six years, Metallica’s All within My Hands Foundation has provided $195,000 in grants to enhance Valencia College’s Accelerated Skills Training program, in which students learn a skilled trade.
“The All Within My Hands Foundation Metallica Scholars Program not only helps to uplift individuals to higher paying careers but also highlights the value of our trades-based careers in our community,” said Carolyn McMorran, assistant vice president for Professional Continuing Education at Valencia College. “Valencia is so very grateful for the support from the program and the ability to help students connect to meaningful work.”
All Within My Hands (AWMH), the non-profit, philanthropic organization created by the members and management of Metallica, recently announced its Year 7 of its Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI) with its largest grant to date, totaling approximately $3 million. MSI now has a presence in 75 colleges across all 50 United States and the territory of Guam, and is expected to reach approximately 10,000 students.
“I could not be any prouder of our Metallica Scholars. We know that our country needs millions of skilled tradespeople, and it warms my heart to know that our Foundation’s efforts are making a positive impact and putting hard-working people on the path to careers in the trades. Whether it’s a school visit or a meet and greet before a show, there is no better feeling than meeting our Metallica Scholars in person and hearing their stories of grit and determination firsthand, along with their pride and commitment. It is truly inspiring. To think we started with a few schools and a couple hundred students, and we’re now in 75 schools nationwide, about to reach 10,000 students. It’s just incredible.”
-Robert Trujillo, Metallica Band Member
Launched in 2019 by All Within My Hands in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), MSI began with 10 colleges focused primarily on Manufacturing programs. The workforce initiative has since expanded to offer opportunities in diverse fields for students interested in gaining the skills and training necessary to establish meaningful careers that provide family-sustaining wages. Valencia College was invited to become a Metallica Scholars school in 2020, the second year of the initiative.
To evaluate the Metallica Scholars program’s efficacy, the University of Southern California (USC) Sol Price School of Public Policy independently researched and quantified MSI’s impact on the skilled trades and the return on investment (ROI) earlier this year. The research extended into all Year 6 community colleges, covering more than 350 fields of study at these institutions, measuring the cost of completion and anticipated salaries post-graduation. The key observation is that the ROI – the ratio of a program’s cost to anticipated median wage – across all MSI-supported programs is a very high and cost-efficient 8.3X. This means that on average, MSI graduates can expect to earn 8.3 times the upfront cost of their program during their first year in the workforce.
“2025 is a watershed moment for the Metallica Scholars Initiative,” stated Peter Delgrosso, Executive Director, All Within My Hands. “With the addition of 15 new schools this fall and USC’s independent research articulating the strength of our results, we are eager to tackle the quantifiable shortage of skilled labor our nation faces. If we extrapolate these ROI numbers over a career, it demonstrates how effective and profitable learning a trade can be for the individual, and how society as a whole also benefits from community college graduates. This insight will profoundly affect MSI going forward, impacting how people view careers in the trades, encouraging more corporate and individual sponsorship, and driving its advancement across the country. We’re thrilled to incorporate these findings into this year’s planning and expansion.”
Year 7 also marks the renewal of AWMH’s partnership with the Lowe’s Foundation, which has provided $1 million in support as part of its five-year, $50 million commitment to prepare 50,000 people for skilled trades careers.
It takes a village to achieve these results, including the continued support from many long-time corporate partners of AWMH, notably workwear manufacturers Carhartt, Wolverine, and CNH, a global leader in agricultural and construction equipment. The aforementioned, along with the extended Metallica Family of fans, have staunchly supported AWMH from day one and worked tirelessly to advance its mission.
For a complete list of all 75 colleges currently supported by AWMH, visit allwithinmyhands.org/metallica-scholars.