Bring Back the Trades (BBTT), a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to bridging the skilled trades gap, today announced Council Jr-Sr High School in Council, Idaho as the May winner of the Bring Back the Trades Tool Grant Program. The award, made possible through the support of Milwaukee Tool, delivers a professional-grade Automotive Tool Kit valued at over $1,500 to the school's agricultural mechanics and welding program.

The kit will support roughly 60 students a year who work on welding, fabrication, small engine repair, agricultural equipment repair, construction, and metalworking projects in the school's shop. Many of the tools currently in use are older, donated, or entry-level, and years of heavy use in both classroom instruction and community projects have limited how many students can work hands-on at one time.

“Council Jr-Sr High School is a program that runs on the same things all of our winners share: instructors who show up every day for their students, and a shop that sees real, heavy use,” said Shana Brunye, chief operating officer of Bring Back the Trades. “These students are already working on engines, welds, and agricultural equipment that matter to their community. Giving them professional-grade Milwaukee tools means they can do that work with equipment that matches the industry they're heading into.”

The award comes on the heels of workforce research BBTT released in February 2026, which projected Idaho would face the second most severe skilled trades workforce gap in the country, behind only Utah, at 40.8 percent of the state's workforce. Nationally, automotive technicians and mechanics are projected to see the single most severe shortage of any trade, at 37 percent of the workforce.

“This is exactly the kind of gap our tool grant program was built to help close,” Brunye added. “Idaho needs mechanics, and Council's students are already putting in the work. We want to make sure they have the best tools for the job.”

Safety and equipment care are built into daily instruction at Council Jr-Sr High School. Students complete safety training covering personal protective equipment, tool selection, shop procedures, and hazard recognition before they are allowed to operate equipment or work independently, and must demonstrate competency before advancing to more complex projects. Tool maintenance is treated as part of everyday shop responsibility, with students trained to inspect, clean, and store tools after every use, and to carry out preventative maintenance such as battery care, lubrication, calibration checks, and consumable replacement.

“Careers in the skilled trades start with hands-on experience,” said Scott Teson, senior vice president of skilled trades at Milwaukee Tool. “By helping students train with the same professional-grade tools used on jobsites today, we're helping them build confidence, develop real-world skills, and see what's possible for their future. We're proud to support Bring Back the Trades as they invest in the next generation of tradespeople.”

Milwaukee Tool invests more than $10 million annually in hands-on education to support the next generation of skilled tradespeople. In 2025 alone, the company supported over 600 apprentice graduations and donated more than $4.5 million in equipment to trade schools nationwide. This work is part of a broader commitment by Milwaukee Tool to invest $200 million in the trades by 2030, expanding access to training, strengthening workforce pipelines, and supporting the long-term growth of the industry.

The Bring Back the Trades Tool Grant Program launched in April 2026 and awards monthly grants valued at over $1,500 in tool kits to eligible public schools and registered non-profits across the United States. Grant recipients select from specialized kits tailored to their curriculum, including tracks in Plumbing, Electrical, Automotive, and Carpentry. Milwaukee Tool is providing professional-grade equipment for all 2026 winners, replacing outdated or consumer-grade tools with industry-standard technology. Organizations may reapply every six months and are eligible to win once every three years. Electrical kits are eligible for an additional award opportunity through additional support from the electrical training ALLIANCE (etA).