DELAWARE – When headbanging, hard rocking, heavy metal meets education, it's the students that win. The iconic band Metallica has donated $50,000 to Delaware Technical Community College through its Metallica Scholars Initiative. The grant will be used to support eight certified nursing assistants at the Owens Campus in Georgetown and nine emergency medical technicians at the Terry Campus in Dover.
“This generous funding will help us deliver on our mission to respond to the needs of Delaware’s employers through workforce training programs for critical positions in Delaware’s health care and emergency services sectors,” said Delaware Tech President Mark T. Brainard. “We are grateful to All Within My Hands and the American Association of Community Colleges for their support of Delaware Tech and our students.”
The All Within My Hands program is a non-profit, philanthropic organization that was created by the members and management of the heavy metal band Metallica. The group recently announced Year 7 of its Metallica Scholars Initiative with its largest grant to date, totaling approximately three million dollars. MSI now has a presence in 75 colleges across all 50 United States and the territory of Guam and is expected to reach approximately 10,000 students.
“I could not be any prouder of our Metallica Scholars. We know that our country needs millions of skilled tradespeople, and it warms my heart to know that our Foundation’s efforts are making a positive impact and putting hard-working people on the path to careers in the trades." Said Metallica band member Robert Trujillo. "Whether it’s a school visit or a meet-and-greet before a show, there is no better feeling than meeting our Metallica Scholars in person and hearing their stories of grit and determination firsthand, along with their pride and commitment. It is truly inspiring. To think we started with a few schools and a couple hundred students, and we’re now in 75 schools nationwide, about to reach 10,000 students. It’s just incredible.”
“2025 is a watershed moment for the Metallica Scholars Initiative,” said Peter Delgrosso, executive director of All Within My Hands. “With the addition of 15 new schools this fall and USC’s independent research articulating the strength of our results, we are eager to tackle the quantifiable shortage of skilled labor our nation faces. If we extrapolate these ROI numbers over a career, it demonstrates how effective and profitable learning a trade can be for the individual, and how society as a whole also benefits from community college graduates. This insight will profoundly affect MSI going forward, impacting how people view careers in the trades, encouraging more corporate and individual sponsorship, and driving its advancement across the country. We're thrilled to incorporate these findings into this year’s planning and expansion.”
Year 7 also marks the renewal of AWMH’s partnership with the Lowe’s Foundation, which has provided one million dollars in support as part of its five-year, $50 million commitment to prepare 50,000 people for skilled trades careers.