Corporate America has been pushing college degrees for decades while ignoring the backbone of the country.
But one major company just broke ranks with a game-changing decision.
And DeWalt just made one move that left corporate America scrambling to catch up.
DEWALT puts $190,000 where their mouth is on trade education
While most Fortune 500 companies virtue signal about diversity and inclusion programs, DEWALT decided to invest in something that actually matters to working Americans.
The power tool company just announced its 2025 scholarship winners, handing out cash to 38 future tradespeople spread across America and Canada.
These aren’t your typical college scholarships for gender studies or underwater basket weaving degrees.
DEWALT is backing the next wave of electricians, carpenters, welders, HVAC technicians, and other skilled workers who actually build and maintain America.
Winners hail from two dozen states plus three Canadian provinces, covering a dozen different trades from electrical work to construction.
“For more than a century, DEWALT has been committed to supporting the trades,” said James Oh, President and General Manager of DEWALT. “As the need for skilled labor continues to rise, we are helping empower the next generation of tradespeople with the resources they need to become leaders on the jobsite.”
According to DEWALT’s own research, almost half of people looking to enter the trades worry about school costs.
Real Americans choosing trades over college debt
The scholarship recipients tell a story that corporate America doesn’t want to hear.
These are smart, ambitious people who are choosing skilled trades over college degrees that leave students drowning in debt with no job prospects.
Take Robert Mendez from Saint Augustine, Florida, who left his corporate career behind to become a diesel technician.
“I am contributing to industries that make a real-world difference in everyday people’s lives – like logistics, farming, construction, and more,” Mendez explained.
Or consider Gretta Vieths, who abandoned desk jobs to pursue electrical construction and maintenance at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, Minnesota.
“I feel like I am regaining a new purpose in life and rediscovering my mental and physical potential,” Vieths said. “The decision to switch careers to a construction trade has been empowering, and has allowed me to see a future full of opportunities that will broaden my perspective on life and expand my capability horizons. Learning a skill that’s in high demand makes me optimistic that I’ll never feel ‘stuck’ in my career field.”
Julian Simmons is working part-time as an HVAC technician while studying HVAC and Refrigeration at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, North Carolina, with plans to eventually own his own business.
“Earning my degree in HVAC opens the door to a rewarding career with strong job security, hands-on work, and the opportunity to make a tangible difference in people’s daily lives,” Simmons said. “It also provides a fast track to stable and lucrative income without the burden of student debt.”
DEWALT’s massive commitment puts other companies to shame
The scholarship program represents just one piece of DEWALT’s huge “Grow the Trades” push, which dedicates $30 million over five years to address America’s skilled worker shortage.
The company has already distributed close to $20 million through scholarships, grants, tools, and training resources.
While other companies waste millions on woke consultants and diversity officers, DeWalt is investing in the people who actually make America work.
The timing couldn’t be better, as the skilled trades face a massive worker shortage just as America needs to rebuild its infrastructure.
These trade jobs can’t be shipped overseas to China or replaced by artificial intelligence.
They require skilled American workers who take pride in building and fixing things with their hands.
Haley Debum, who studies automotive technology at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado while working at a car dealership, represents exactly the kind of person America needs more of.
“Choosing a career in the trades has empowered me to break gender stereotypes, gain hands-on experience, and build confidence for when I continue my future in automotive technology,” Debum said. “Earning the DEWALT Trades Scholarship not only fuels my passion but also reinforces the importance of skilled trades in our world and shows the incredible support I have by my side that motivates me even more.”
Corporate America finally catching on
For too long, the business establishment pushed the lie that everyone needs a four-year college degree to succeed.
They created a generation of debt-saddled graduates with useless degrees who can’t find jobs in their fields.
Meanwhile, skilled tradespeople are making six-figure salaries without the crushing student loan debt.
A plumber or electrician with a few years of experience can out-earn most college graduates, and they’re doing work that actually matters to society.
DeWalt’s investment in trade education shows that at least one major company understands where America’s future lies.
It’s not in more gender studies majors or communications degrees.
It’s in the skilled workers who can wire a house, fix an engine, or weld a pipeline.
The company has been around for more than 100 years because they make tools for people who build things.
Now they’re investing in making sure there will be people around who know how to use those tools.
While politicians talk about infrastructure and manufacturing, DeWalt is putting real money behind training the workers who will actually do the job.
Other companies should take notice and stop wasting money on woke programs that don’t help anyone.
Instead, they should follow DeWalt’s lead and invest in the skilled trades that keep America running.
