While most clothing brands zero in on how consumers look, Carhartt is playing up what they do with its inaugural Steel Apple awards.
A handful of educators in different parts of the country are being saluted for how they are guiding the next generation of skilled trade workers. This is not new territory for the workwear specialist, which is building upon its “For the Love of Labor” program. The initiative bolsters nonprofits that teach, train and place workers in the skilled trades.
This spring Carhartt is dedicating its “For the Love of Labor” grant to support the National Center for Construction Education and Research, a nonprofit construction education foundation. The organization also offers training, assessment, credentials, research and career development programs. As part of its commitment, Carhartt has earmarked $100,000 for the launch and to help expand accredited NCCER’s Career and Technical Education programs across the U.S. That will involve offering its CTE curriculum to some students for the first time. Carhartt is also recognizing five outstanding teachers as the inaugural Steel Apple honorees.
With thousands of U.S. residents in need of plumbers, construction workers, electricians and welders, due to a labor shortage, some would-be college students are opting for vocational schools and careers. Some have been priced out of the college experience and others are drawn by the increased salaries for skilled trades. Interest in such blue-collar jobs among Gen Z is so significant that it has been dubbed “the Toolbelt Generation.”
Started in 2020, Carhartt’s “For the Love of Labor” grant program has received hundreds of applications and awarded 27 grants — that amount to nearly $3 million — to date. To be eligible, the nonprofits must be U.S.-based organizations in recognized apprenticeship industries that serve at least 100 individuals each year. Carhartt is also rooted in workwear, as a family-run business that dates back to 1889 and now has approximately 3,000 employees worldwide.
For the brand’s first Steel Apple award honorees, there are five individuals, who will each receive $10,000 to invest in their own classrooms. They will also be given a tailored workwear package and national recognition for their contributions to the industry. Beyond the educational benefits, students in their classrooms will benefit in other ways too. More than 150 Carhartt backpacks that are filled with work gloves, T-shirts and hats will be given to the students in the award recipients’ classrooms.
One of this year’s Steel Apple award winners, Aaron Haselwood, observes a student.
Photo by Carhartt
This year’s honorees are Matthew Bracey, the construction trades masonry program manager at the Randolph Career and Technical Center in Detroit; Aaron Haselwood, construction teacher at Wichita High School East in Wichita, Kan.; Robert Pease, agriculture and welding teacher at Fleming County High School in Flemingsburg, Ky.; Bryan Suarez, welding teacher at the Dr. Kirk Lewis Career and Technical High School in Houston, and Jennifer McNally, carpentry teacher at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School in South Easton, Mass.
NCCER has a track record in helping skilled trades workers with their career development through education and credentials, having been established in 1996. As a leader in skilled trades workforce development, NCCER provides quality education programs and credentials. The organization’s “High School Builder” program expands access to CTE programs by removing accreditation barriers and allowing high schoolers to graduate workforce ready.
