The stigma attached to trade careers has long steered students elsewhere. Bring Back the Trades, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is working to change that—one grant, one classroom and one student at a time.
In June, BBTT announced the Manchester School of Technology in Manchester, New Hampshire, as the first recipient of its Tool Grant Program. Launched in April 2026 and supported by Milwaukee Tool, the program awards monthly tool grants valued at $1,500 to public schools and nonprofit organizations across the United States offering trades education. BBTT delivered a professional-grade electrical tool kit to MST’s vocational program—giving students hands-on access to the same tools used on modern jobsites. Recipients select specialized kits tailored to their educational curriculum, including plumbing, electrical, automotive and carpentry.
“Manchester School of Technology is doing real work, and this grant was an opportunity to support something already worth supporting,” says Shana Brunye, chief operating officer of Bring Back the Trades. “When you show up with professional-grade Milwaukee Tool equipment and tell teachers and students it’s theirs to use, you see great excitement—not just about the tools but the message that comes with it.”
Serving as a regional career and technical education center for students from Manchester and surrounding communities, MST’s electrical program prepares students for careers in the trades through hands-on training. MST instructor Phillippe LeClaire and Vasiliki Partinoudi, assistant principal and CTE director at MST, submitted the winning application—making a convincing case on the students’ behalf and advocating for the program’s strength and potential.
The surprise reveal at MST was a defining moment for Brunye. “We were thrilled to be able to go in person to present the tools to the class. The students were so excited. It’s so rewarding to be able to provide tool grants for schools in need,” she says.
BBTT’s origins are rooted in a familiar frustration. Founder Steve Turner, a small business owner in the trades, kept running into the same problem: He couldn’t find workers. He created BBTT to provide scholarships and grants to students, schools and nonprofits—and to educate school counselors, teachers and parents about opportunities in the trades.
“Trades jobs were written off as a fallback, not a first-choice option,” says Brunye. “The trades deficit is a direct result of a cultural shift pushing generations of students into college—and only college—as a pathway to success. Guidance counselors, parents, schools—everyone pointed students in the same direction. Vocational programs were cut, and students who may have been interested no longer had access to explore trades opportunities.”
The Tool Grant Program is one piece of a larger solution. BBTT’s monthly student scholarships address the individual side of the equation, helping students cover the costs of trade programs. “You need schools that can train students well, and you need students who can afford to show up,” says Brunye.
Industry partnerships are central to BBTT’s model. Milwaukee Tool brings more than equipment to the table. “The best partnerships are ones where the company understands that this is a long-term investment, not a one-time sponsorship. They’re not writing a check and walking away—they’re engaged in what we’re building,” says Brunye.
BBTT also offers a Textile Tool Grant sponsored by Designer Draperies of Boston, to be awarded to one public school in the Boston area offering education in the textile industry. The winner receives two commercial-grade industrial sewing machines and a semester of professional mentorship.
The change BBTT is working toward is already visible. Students are looking at job markets, weighing their options and making deliberate decisions to pursue the trades—a shift from the perceptions of the generation before them.
“Giving out tools changes the training and how students see themselves,” says Brunye. “When a student picks up the same tool a professional uses, the distance between where they are and where they want to be gets smaller—all of a sudden it’s not so far out of reach for them to be able to participate in a great way and add value.”
BBTT’s vision is clear. Brunye says: “Five years from now, success looks like more students choosing the trades with full information, respect and real support behind them, more classrooms equipped to train them properly and an industry that has moved from hoping the pipeline improves to actively investing in it.”
SEE ALSO: TRUSTING THE PIPEINE: SUPPORTING EARLY-CAREER CONSTRUCTION TALENT
