Bring Back the Trades (BBTT), a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to bridging the skilled trades gap, today announced the Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center (SICTC) as a June winner of the Bring Back the Trades Tool Grant Program. The additional June award, made possible through the support of Milwaukee Tool and the electrical training ALLIANCE (etA), delivers a professional-grade Electrical Technologies Tool Kit valued at $1,500 to SICTC's Electrical program.

SICTC's Electrical program was selected by the etA, which has partnered with the SICTC program since its inception. The program serves 48 students annually and works in close coordination with the local Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC), giving students a direct line from the classroom into the electrical apprenticeship pipeline.

“SICTC has an excellent lab space, a strong JATC partnership, and they’ve been a part of the program since inception,” said Audra Kellams, director of workforce education and partnerships at the etA. “Giving students a matched set of professional-grade Milwaukee tools instead of whatever mix of brands happen to be in the drawer means every student is learning on the right tool for the job, every time. That consistency matters when you're trying to build good habits early.”

The grant arrives during a transition for the program. Timothy Taylor took over as lead instructor in November 2025, stepping into a role built by an instructor with a long, well-regarded track record in the SICTC electrical shop.

“I know I have big shoes to fill coming into this program,” said Timothy Taylor, electrical instructor at Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center. “My focus is getting students the core knowledge, mechanical skills, safety training, and introduction to the National Electrical Code they need to walk into an apprenticeship ready to work. Having Milwaukee tools in the lab gives students real hands-on experience with equipment that keeps their interest and keeps them safe while they're learning.”

Tool care is treated as part of the coursework at SICTC, with students expected to clean, maintain, and use tools for their correct purpose as a routine part of lab work, a practice the program credits with keeping both students and equipment safe over the long run. The new Milwaukee tools will be put to work right away: they will be on display at SICTC's annual career fair and used by students on the program's upcoming Habitat for Humanity house build.

“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,” said Scott Teson, senior vice president of skilled trades at Milwaukee Tool. “We're proud to support Bring Back the Trades and the etA 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.

“We are greatly appreciative of Milwaukee Tool’s commitment to hands-on education to support the next generation of tradespeople,” said Shana Brunye, chief operating officer at Bring Back the Trades. “Without their support, and the etA’s amplification of their efforts, we couldn’t help nearly as many future tradespeople.”

The Bring Back the Trades Tool Grant Program launched in April 2026 and awards monthly grants valued at $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. The etA has stepped up to support an additional Electrical Kit Tool Grant through the Bring Back the Trades program each month valued at $1,500. 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.