Wolverine Project Bootstrap Sheds Light On The Skills Gap

Wolverine and This Old House partner with the mikeroweWORKS Foundation on its Work Ethic Scholarship Program to help close the skills gap

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Wolverine

Oct 26, 2017, 07:03 ET

ROCKFORD, Mich., Oct. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolverine, the brand synonymous with work boots and clothing since 1883, is shedding light on the skills gap with its third year of Project Bootstrap. Project Bootstrap is Wolverine's way of saying thank you to the women and men who keep the country running through their expert skills and strong work ethic. This year, Wolverine is supporting the next generation of trade workers by donating 2,000 boots directly to students at trade schools across the country.

Students wear their new Wolverine boots to kick off Project Bootstrap at the American College of the Building Arts

Wolverine's Project Bootstrap supports students going into skilled trades like Joe Whisonant, who studies iron working at the American College of the Building Arts

Wolverine Project Bootstrap has partnered with television series, This Old House, to highlight the skills gap. Wolverine and This Old House recognized students from the American College of the Building Arts in Charleston, South Carolina to hear more about their skills, what the skills gap means to them and to deliver the first round of Project Bootstrap donations. "We are hard-working people and take pride in work that most people don't take much time to notice," said Jacob Jackson, a high school junior with a focus on timber framing at the American College of the Building Arts. "It's not every day someone walks up to you and tells you they appreciate you."

To further its commitment to close the skills gap, Wolverine has also donated $50,000 to This Old House's Generation Next initiative, a charitable campaign that encourages and empowers young people to join the skilled trades. All contributions to this initiative – approximately $500,000 this year - support the mikeroweWORKS Foundation's 2017 Work Ethic Scholarship Program. "The skills gap is a real problem and we need brands like Wolverine to make significant efforts to help fix it," said Mike Rowe, CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation and executive producer and host of Facebook's Returning the Favor. "If we don't invest in our future, the skills gap will continue to widen and we won't have enough trained workers to meet the demands."

According to an analysis by the Bureau of Labor, trade jobs account for 54% of the labor market but only 43% of the country's workers are trained in the trades.[1] "We are focusing on students this year as our own small way of addressing the skills gap and saying thank you for their hard work," said Andrew Shripka, vice president of marketing at Wolverine. "Before they start their careers in masonry, carpentry or one of the many other skilled trades, we want to equip them with appropriate work boots for their jobs."

Project Bootstrap is an embodiment of Wolverine founder G. A. Krause's belief in the possibility of opportunity, supporting employees and the importance of building for the future. In 2017, Wolverine will be donating boots to trade schools across the country including American College of the Building and Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology. Wolverine is also offering a discount to all students currently enrolled in a trade school with a valid school email address. To hear more students about the students who are closing the skills gap, visit Wolverine's YouTube page.

About Wolverine Brand:
Since 1883, Wolverine has taken pride in crafting durable boots with unrivaled craftsmanship and the highest-quality materials. With a dedication to innovation, Wolverine provides dependable comfort and style to hardworking men and women all over the world. For those who believe in hard work and uncompromising commitment, Wolverine offers the footwear, apparel and accessories to get the job done. For more information visit http://www.wolverine.com. Wolverine is a division of Wolverine Worldwide.

About MikeRoweWORKS:
The mikeroweWORKS Foundation is 501(c)(3) public charity that works hard to debunk myths about the skilled trades and help close the skills gap. As the CEO of the Foundation, Mike Rowe speaks regularly about the country's dysfunctional relationship with work and challenges the persistent belief that a four-year degree is automatically the best path for the most people. To achieve its mission, the Foundation gives away a modest pile of money to people getting trained for skilled jobs that are in demand through scholarship programs, including the Work Ethic Scholarship Program. The 2017 Work Ethic Scholarship Program launched in March with the support of This Old House's Generation Next campaign with the goal to encourage young people to master the vocational trades that built this country. Since its inception, the Foundation has granted, or facilitated the granting of, more than $5 million in technical and vocational education for trade schools across the country.

About This Old House:
This Old House Ventures, LLC is the No. 1 multi-platform home-enthusiast brand, providing trusted information and expert advice through its award-winning television shows This Old House and Ask This Old House, its highly regarded and award-winning This Old House magazine and its inspiration- and information-driven digital properties, including thisoldhouse.com. Established as This Old House Ventures, LLC, the company is headquartered in Stamford, CT, with offices in New York, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Concord, MA. For more information contact: [email protected]