Through its Empower Makers Grant, Stanley Black & Decker donated power tools valued at nearly $20,000 to Build Trybe to help apprentices gain valuable experience in construction.

Stanley Black & Decker developed the Empower Makers Grant to bridge the trade-skills gap in the U.S. construction industry, which will experience an estimated $550 billion of new infrastructure investment over the next decade, according to a 2022 McKinsey study. That investment is expected to create 3.2 million new jobs in nonresidential construction, which would result in a need for 300,000 to 600,000 new workers in construction every year.

Build Trybe is one of 91 programs to receive Empower Makers tool donations. For Build Trybe, the tool donation means that apprentices can gain experience with new tools to add to their marketable skills in building as they transition into adulthood and the job market. In 2022, Build Trybe trained 275 youth in its Culinary, Building, and Horticulture and Landscaping programs.

This is the second donation from Stanley Black & Decker through the grant. In 2022, the grant helped Build Trybe secure The Shop, a workshop in midtown Kansas City for youth who want to learn metal and woodworking. The tool donation includes various power tools, including drills and saws, as well as batteries and chargers.

Recently, the Build Trybe apprentices have been using the new tools to fabricate custom steel-and-wood tables commissioned by James Beard Award-winning Chef Celina Tio, as well as to construct the cutting boards, plant stands, and other products sold by Build Trybe. The high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuums have allowed Build Trybe youth to safely increase dust collection efforts, which means more resin-pouring projects in the future.

“This tool donation means increased project capacity and improved workflow,” said Kendell Harbin, Build Trybe’s Building Trades Manager. The tools Build Trybe received through the Empower Makers grant also have motivated youth as they work on their projects.

“The gift of new tools says, ‘Someone believes in what I make and wants to see more,’” said Kendell. “Having a bigger toolbox also means more learning opportunities for our apprentices to gain industry-specific knowledge.”