Columbia State Community College has been selected for an eighth year in the Metallica Scholars Initiative, receiving a $15,000 grant to help students attend its Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy.
The grant will provide scholarship funding to students pursuing careers as lineworkers, helping reduce financial barriers to entering the high-demand field.
The latest award brings Columbia State’s total funding through the Metallica Scholars Initiative to $190,000. The college was also the first community college in Tennessee to receive support from the program.
“The continued support of the Metallica Scholars Initiative is creating life-changing opportunities for future lineworkers across Middle Tennessee,” Patrick McElhiney, Columbia State’s director of grants, said. “This grant helps remove financial barriers and opens the door to a high-demand, essential profession.”
The Metallica Scholars Initiative, launched in 2019 through the band’s All Within My Hands Foundation in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges, supports workforce training programs in skilled trades and other in-demand careers.
This year, the initiative expanded to 93 colleges across the United States and the United Kingdom. In addition to traditional trades such as welding, plumbing and electrical work, the program now supports career training in fields including healthcare, automotive repair, firefighting, emergency medical services, maritime manufacturing and agriculture.
According to the American Association of Community Colleges, more than 13,000 students have received support through the initiative since it launched.
Columbia State’s Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy provides hands-on training for students preparing to enter the electric utility industry.
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