Community College of Rhode Island to expand Skilled Trades Training with $1M from Lowe’s Foundation

The Community College of Rhode Island is expanding hands-on training programs in high-demand trades, supported by a $1M grant from the Lowe’s Foundation.

“Being chosen by the Lowe’s Foundation is an extraordinary recognition of CCRI’s commitment to building strong career pathways in the skilled trades. With this investment, we will equip our students with the tools and technology they need to thrive—and help meet Rhode Island’s growing demand for a highly trained workforce,” said Rosemary A. Costigan, Ph.D., RN, President of the Community College of Rhode Island.  

The Lowe’s Foundation has awarded $7 million in strategic grants to 12 community colleges across the country to enhance skilled trades education, which will use the funding to expand programs in high-demand fields critical to local economies and increasingly reliant on technical, job-ready graduates.

The Lowe’s Foundation’s 12 new Gable Grants for community and technical colleges to help solve America’s critical skilled trades worker shortage expands the foundation’s nationwide network of Gable Grants recipients to 60 organizations, each delivering scalable pathways into high-demand trades careers.

Through expanded training, grants will help build the next generation of skilled tradespeople at a time when the industry needs it the most. According to the National Association of Homebuilders, the skilled labor gap drives a $10 billion annual economic loss in the housing industry.

Cities and towns in Rhode Island had only issued 1.27 residential building permits per 1,000 residents in 2021, the lowest rate nationwide, according to U.S. Census data. CCRI’s initiative will help address this critical workforce gap.

“Collectively, we are writing a comeback story for the skilled trades industry,” said Janice Dupré, Lowe’s executive vice president of human resources and chair of the Lowe’s Foundation. “Through our Gable Grants network, these schools join a community of innovators helping one another effectively recruit, train and employ the people America needs to revitalize our infrastructure.”

Since launching the Gable Grants program in 2023, the foundation has invested $43 million across 28 states. The grants are part of a five-year, $50 million commitment to help community and technical colleges and nonprofits recruit, train and prepare 50,000 trades professionals across carpentry and construction, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and property maintenance.

The new Lowe’s Foundation Gable Grant supports CCRI:

Community College of Rhode Island (Warwick, Rhode Island) will expand its Electrical Apprenticeship and Ready to Build programs to address the growing demand for skilled trades professionals. The school will establish two state-of-the-art lab spaces to increase enrollment capacity and develop a credit-bearing academic pathway that integrates into a new construction management certificate and degree program.

CCRI joins other community and technical colleges:

Blue Ridge Community College (Flat Rock, North Carolina) will support ongoing Hurricane Helene recovery efforts through expanded training for advanced manufacturing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and construction apprenticeships. The grant will help Blue Ridge hire certified instructors and offer tuition support to students from across Western North Carolina.

Cape Fear Community College (Wilmington, North Carolina) will introduce plumbing, facility maintenance and core construction programs at two correctional facilities and an adult high school program. The college’s curriculum features integrated virtual reality training along with industry recognized certifications to meet the needs of its growing employer network.

Florida State College at Jacksonville (Jacksonville, Florida) will strengthen communities and improve access for aspiring electricians, construction professionals and HVAC technicians through training at community sites. The grant will also support the recruitment of skilled instructors and fund educational materials, spaces and equipment, addressing workforce needs for large construction projects in Jacksonville, including the $8 billion downtown revitalization and $1.4 billion NFL stadium renovation.

Los Angeles Community College District (Los Angeles) will enhance its skilled trades curriculum while expanding the capacity of its Construction, Maintenance and Utilities programs. In the aftermath of the 2025 Palisades and Eaton wildfires, the program will focus on fire recovery with disaster-specific training to prepare a workforce for major infrastructure projects.

Germanna Community College (Fredericksburg, Virginia) will build and deploy mobile training units to rural communities, public schools and correctional facilities. Germanna Community College has trained over 3,500 students in 2025, the most among Virginia schools awarding skilled trades credentials.

Ivy Tech Community College (Indianapolis) is receiving its second Gable Grant to launch a new Building and Property Maintenance Technician program and enhance its HVAC training. This grant will focus on dislocated workers and second-chance learners and will expand trades programs across the college system, which includes 19 campuses throughout Indiana.

J.F. Ingram State Technical College (Deatsville, Alabama) exclusively serves Alabama’s incarcerated population and individuals under supervised release. The Gable Grant will unlock access to electrical training through virtual reality simulation software and shop-based learning. The vocational training program supports reentry and long-term career pathways by equipping students with invaluable technical skills and expertise to meet industry workforce needs and gain a competitive advantage in the job market.

Johnson College of Technology (Scranton, Pennsylvania) will expand its capacity and programming at two campuses through its HVAC, Electrical Construction Technology and carpentry and cabinetmaking labs. The school is the only career technical college in Northeastern Pennsylvania and partners with industry employers to prepare students for residential, commercial and industrial careers across the region.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (Perkinston, Mississippi) is receiving its second Gable Grant to introduce electrical technology evening courses and transform its construction trades program. This will double the school’s capacity to prepare electricians and support a Fast-Track Pathway that offers accelerated transfer credits, internships and apprenticeships to meet the construction sector’s growing demands.

Palm Beach State College (Lake Worth, Florida) is receiving its second Gable Grant to help expand its construction trades programs and add a simulation lab. The expansion will complement four mobile units and bring HVAC and electrical training to the school’s Palm Beach Gardens campus as well as rural high schools in South Florida.

Texas State Technical College (Waco, Texas) will equip a nearly 130,000 square-foot Construction Technology Center while offering tool stipends to eligible students. The school boasts an 87% job placement rate and offers associate degrees and certificates of completion, as well as short-term, noncredit training aligned with Texas’ workforce needs.

The next Gable Grant application cycle for community-based nonprofits opens from Aug. 1 to Aug. 31 and is by invitation only. To learn more about eligibility guidelines and skilled trades career benefits, visit LowesFoundation.org.

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About The Lowe’s Foundation – The Lowe’s Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) organization founded by Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW), is helping develop a community of skilled tradespeople to build and revitalize our homes, neighborhoods and infrastructure for the future. From 2023 through 2028, the Lowe’s Foundation is investing $50 million to help prepare 50,000 people for skilled trades careers through grants to community and technical colleges, community-based nonprofit organizations and national nonprofit partners with a strong local presence. To learn more about the Lowe’s Foundation, visit LowesFoundation.org and follow on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About CCCRI – The Community College of Rhode Island is the state’s only public comprehensive associate degree-granting institution. We provide affordable open access to higher education at locations throughout the state. Our primary mission is to offer recent high school graduates and returning adults the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for intellectual, professional and personal growth through an array of academic, career and lifelong learning programs.

We meet the wide-ranging educational needs of our diverse student population, building on our rich tradition of excellence in teaching and our dedication to all students with the ability and motivation to succeed. We set high academic standards necessary for transfer and career success, champion diversity, respond to community needs, and contribute to our state’s economic development and the region’s workforce.