METALLICA Launches Year Five Of 'Metallica Scholars Initiative' With Additional $1.85 Million To Expand Programs

The major workforce education initiative that METALLICA's All Within My Hands (AWMH) foundation launched in 2019 in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is marking its fifth year with the addition of 11 new colleges to its existing 31-college roster, and an ambitious expansion into new programs. Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI) now directly supports 42 community colleges across 33 states in the US to enhance their career and technical education programs. To date, METALLICA and their foundation have invested over $6 million in the American workforce.

Reaffirming a commitment to career and technical education at the local level, each new school brings incredible opportunities to a thriving and growing community, says All Within My Hands executive director Peter Delgrosso.

"With the launch of the fifth year of the program, we will now have supported well over 5,000 Metallica Scholars across workforce education," Delgrosso says. "The Metallica Scholars Initiative is a strong and cooperative community of the nation's best community colleges creating a supportive climate for participants to communicate directly and share best practices. As a result, our Metallica Scholars leave the program well-trained and confident. Ultimately the impact is felt in their local communities, and on the national scale, as Metallica Scholars enter the workforce and fill, or create, much needed workforce and technical positions."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich said: "The Metallica Scholars Initiative is so important to us because we are seeing results. Five years in, with the help of community colleges across the country, we are helping people fill these essential jobs which require skills and training. We are so proud and grateful that we can facilitate this program."

The new schools will each receive $100,000 to enhance the student experience as they receive career training for economic development. The 11 schools joining MSI this year are:

* Aiken Technical College - Aiken, South Carolina
* Central Wyoming College – Riverton, Wyoming
* Columbia State Community College – Columbia, Tennessee
* Front Range Community College – Westminster, Colorado
* Itawamba Community College – Fulton, Mississippi
* Northeast Wisconsin Technical College - Green Bay, Wisconsin
* Oxnard College (Ventura County Community College District) – Oxnard, California
* South Central College - North Mankato, Minnesota
* South Louisiana Community College – Lafayette, Louisiana
* Texas State Technical College – Waco, Texas
* Western Dakota Technical College - Rapid City, South Dakota

The newly added schools are joining the veteran 31 schools invited to continue. Each year the returning colleges play an integral part in helping guide the success of the new schools.

The returning schools are:

* Clark State Community College - Springfield, Ohio
* Central Community College - Grand Island, Nebraska
* Central Piedmont Community College - Charlotte, North Carolina
* Clackamas Community College - Oregon City, Oregon
* Clinton Community College - Clinton, Iowa
* College of Lake County - Grayslake, Illinois
* Columbia Gorge Community College - The Dalles, Oregon
* Community College of Baltimore County - Baltimore, Maryland
* East Central College - Union, Missouri
* Elizabethtown Community & Technical College - Elizabethtown, Kentucky
* Gateway Technical College - Kenosha, Wisconsin
* Grand Rapids Community College - Grand Rapids, Michigan
* Guilford Technical Community College - Jamestown, North Carolina
* Hudson County Community College - Jersey City, New Jersey
* Lone Star College - The Woodlands, Texas
* Middlesex Community College - Lowell, Massachusetts
* Milwaukee Area Technical College - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
* Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College - Perkinston, Mississippi
* Northern Virginia Community College - Annandale, Virginia
* Northwest-Shoals Community College - Muscle Shoals, Alabama
* Pima Community College - Tuscon, Arizona
* Polk State College - Winter Haven, Florida
* Rockland Community College - Suffern, New York
* Salt Lake Community College - Salt Lake City, Utah
* San Juan College – Farmington, New Mexico
* Spokane Community College - Spokane, Washington
* Valencia College - Orlando, Florida
* Victor Valley College - Victorville, California
* West Virginia University Parkersburg - Parkersburg, Wes Virginia
* Westchester Community College - Valhalla, New York
* WSU-Tech - Wichita, Kansas

What began with ten colleges and mostly manufacturing programs in its first round in 2019 has developed into a diverse list of workforce opportunities for students who are interested in gaining the skills and training necessary to find meaningful and well-paying careers in fields and positions including:

* Agriculture
* Automation and Robotics
* Automotive Technology
* Aviation, Computer-Aided Drafting & Design
* Carpentry
* Computerized Manufacturing (CNC)
* Construction Technology
* Criminal Justice
* Culinary Arts
* Cybersecurity
* Diesel Technology
* Dental Hygiene
* Electrical Engineering
* EMT
* Fire Technology
* Healthcare
* Heating & Ventilation (HVAC)
* Heavy Equipment Operator
* Hospitality
* Industrial Maintenance Technology
* Lineworker
* Manufacturing & Machining
* Mechanical Design
* Mechatronics Engineering
* Process Technology
* Trucking (CDL)
* Welding
* Wind Energy

As the voice of the nation's community colleges, the American Association of Community Colleges delivers educational and economic opportunities for 12 million diverse students searching for the American Dream. Uniquely dedicated to access and success for all students, AACC's nearly 1,100 member colleges provide an on-ramp to degree attainment, skilled careers, and family-supporting wages. Located in Washington, D.C., AACC advocates for these not-for-profit, public-serving institutions to ensure they have the resources and support to increase economic mobility for all.

All Within My Hands was established in 2017 by METALLICA to invest in the people and places that have supported the band. It also allows METALLICA's fans to engage in philanthropy and volunteerism. The Foundation is dedicated to creating sustainable communities through workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services. All expenses of the Foundation are covered by the band, the board, and a few special friends so that 100% of donations go to the organizations it supports. AWMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.