Rocklynn Phillips, right, a 2024 Alleghany High School graduate, has been awarded a scholarship by the mikeroweWORKS Foundation to continue his training as a welder. At left is Cecil Andrews of Byers Inc. in Covington. Phillips interned at Byers Inc. through Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Worked-Based Learning Program. He has worked for Byers full-time since graduating in June. In February, he will attend a welding institute in Kentucky.
AHS Graduate Receives Mike Rowe Skilled Trade Scholarship
LOW MOOR — Alleghany High School graduate Rocklynn Phillips has been awarded a mikeroweWorks Foundation Trade Scholarship. Phillips is among more than 300 aspiring tradespeople to receive the scholarship this year.
This year, the mikeroweWorks Foundation is awarding work ethic scholarships totaling $2.4 million to a broad mix of graduates who plan to work in trades such as plumbing, electricians, welding, mechanics, pipefitters, HVAC specialists, blacksmiths, cosmetology, and other fields that don’t require a four-year degree from a college or university.
“It’s been really gratifying to help train the next generation of skilled tradespeople,” said Mike Rowe, chief executive officer of mikeroweWorks. “The opportunities to prosper in the trades are astonishing,and shining a light on those opportunities has been really gratifying.”
Rowe, a popular television personality, may be best known as host of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs.” He created the mikeroweWORKS Foundation in 2008 to launch a national public relations campaign for skilled labor. The foundation has awarded more than $12 million in scholarships to more than 2,000 recipients throughout the United States.
According to Skillwork, a national trade and staffing agency, the ratio of baby boomers (persons born from 1946 to 1962) to those who enter the workforce has been 5:2. As a result, Rowe says there is a widening “skills gap” that’s creating an imbalance in the American workforce. In May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 8.1 million open positions — most of which do not require a four-year college degree — adding to the growing labor shortage in skilled trades.
“If we want to close the skills gap that exists in our country, we need to change perceptions in the broadest possible way,” Rowe said. “That means better PR for the trades. We need to show Americans that lots of skilled tradespeople are making a very comfortable six-figure salary, setting their own schedules, and finding real meaning and fulfillment in their work.”
Phillips, a member of the AHS Class of 2024, is a three-year completer of the Jackson River Technical Center welding program. During his senior year, he did an internship with Byers Inc. in Covington through Alleghany Highlands Public Schools’ work-based learning program. The internship enabled him to find a full-time job after graduating in June. Phillips will continue working for Byers Inc. until he leaves in February to continue his training at the Kentucky Welding Institute in Flemingsburg, Ky.
“I’m very grateful to the Mike Rowe Foundation for its support of my welding career. I also want to thank my welding instructor, Jamie Huffman, for his guidance and instruction at JRTC. I learned so much from the welding program and would highly recommend it to any student who is interested in exploring a welding career,” Phillips said.
“The internship program through AHPS helped me get my foot in the door at Byers and I’m very thankful for the opportunity. I’ve been working at Byers full-time since graduating high school and I have worked in several Smurfit Westrock paper mills and at a nuclear facility in Lynchburg, gaining valuable field experience,” he said.
To learn more about AHPS’ work-based learning program, contact Seth Bradley at [email protected]. Bradley serves as the school division’s work-based learning coordinator.
With approximately 2,700 students, AHPS was created when Alleghany County Public Schools, Covington City Public Schools, and Jackson River Technical Center merged in July 2022. The school division is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington.
AHPS news and events are regularly updated on Facebook at AHPublicSchools and Instagram at ahpublicschools. Information is also available at www.ahps.k12.va.us.
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