Today in wholesome news, Metallica will donate a total of USD $1.6 million (AUD $2 million) to 23 community colleges through their foundation.
The Metallica Scholars Initiative began in 2019 as a partnership between the band’s All Within My Hands Foundation (AWMH) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
Participating colleges were chosen through an application process, with each receiving USD $100,000 to fund “programs designed to support students training to enter the American workforce.”
In a statement about the new announcement (via Consequence of Sound), Metallica singer-guitarist James Hetfield said it’s been “amazing to see this program continue to grow and thrive.”
“I get so grateful hearing from those who benefit from our grant. Hearing their story of doubt to direction… from those who are able to pursue additional education leading directly to meaningful employment,” Hetfield said.
“It gave us confidence that we are doing the right thing and inspired us to do even more. We are very proud and excited to work with additional schools encouraging even more Metallica Scholars to pursue a profession in the skilled trades.”
As reported by Consequence of Sound, the funding served over 1,000 students across the US in career and technical training programs in 2020.
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“AACC is honored to manage the All Within My Hands’ Metallica Scholars Initiative,” said Jennifer Worth, Senior Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development at the AACC.
“As we engage more communities, we have the opportunity to connect with more industry partners, each of which affirms that high-quality, skilled trade jobs are available, and community colleges are the premier places to train and amass talent.
“We will not stop doing this work until that recognition is as awesomely global as the band’s trust in us, our colleges, and the students with whom we work,” Worth concluded.
For more on this topic, head over to the Metal Observer.
Check out ‘Enter Sandman’ by Metallica:
