A nonprofit that introduces high school students to the building trades through hands-on summer camps nationwide recently received its second DeWALT Grow the Trades grant this year.

The Heavy Metal Summer Experience (HMSE) offers high school students and recent graduates hands-on experience with local professionals through “summer camps” where they tackle projects across multiple construction disciplines. Over the summer of 2024, HMSE exposed more than 500 students to career opportunities in the skilled trades at 36 camps across the U.S. and Canada. The organization anticipates adding another 25-35 camps next summer.

HMSE was founded in 2021 to address the construction industry’s ongoing labor shortage. According to DeWALT, an estimated 10 million global manufacturing jobs are currently unfilled. DeWALT’s Grow the Trades grant bolsters the efforts of nonprofit organizations dedicated to attracting workers to the trades. The program awards funding and tool donations yearly as part of a $30 million commitment over five years.

HMSE received the Grow the Trades grant once before, in February of this year. They are one of 70 organizations DeWALT anticipates to skill and reskill more than 55,000 tradespeople in 2024. 

“Our partnership with DeWALT has meant so much to us,” HMSE co-founder Angie Simon said. “Their passion to grow the trades is evident in this grant and the many more they have issued. They truly care about the future of the industry and are putting their money where they can help initiate change.”

Each HMSE “camper” receives several useful items to keep at the beginning of “camp,” including a safety vest, gloves, safety glasses, a pair of work boots, and a bag of tools including an electric impact drill. Simon noted that in addition to their grant, DeWALT provided more than half of the tool bags and personal protective equipment (PPE) items every summer. 

“DeWALT is immensely proud to support Heavy Metal Summer Experience as they work to attract the tradespeople of tomorrow, moving us closer to our shared goal of closing the trade skills gap,” Stanley Black & Decker power tools group President Frank Mannarino said. “Funding educational programs and nonprofits like HMSE connects more people to training, resources, and opportunities that will lead to successful careers in the trades.”

HMSE is a 501(c)(3) incorporated company made possible by a group of industry professionals, vendors who donate tools and materials, and construction contractors across the country dedicated to enticing the next generation of skilled workers to the high-paying, debt-free career options in unionized building trades. 

“The impact of our camps is evident in the growing number of graduates now pursuing apprenticeships,” Simon said. “Hearing these success stories reaffirms that our program is making a significant difference, and the positive feedback from students, parents, and camp hosts truly underscores the value of HMSE.”