The Toolkit: Back-to-School Resources and Inspiration for Skilled Trades Teachers

[Roberta Tilleman]

View this email in your browser August 2025 Inspiration for the New School Year form Missouri Automotive Prizewinner Jared Monroe, a grand prize winner of the 2022 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, wants your insights! As the academic year kicks off, Jared is focused on making sure his automotive students develop not only hands-on trades skills, but a sense of leadership and ownership of their abilities. Check out his inspiring post on LinkedIn and feel free to add your suggestions in the comments. See more from Jared Monroe    Teacher's Edge: Prizewinning Teacher Shares Student Career Portfolio Template The start of a new school year often poses one major problem for high school students: how to stay organized. Prizewinning teacher Kristie Jones from Franklin County, Mississippi, developed a template to help students keep track of their successes in her carpentry and construction program and prepare for future opportunities. Learn more about the portfolio template    New Data: The Harris Poll on How Americans Think about the Skilled Trades The Harris Poll has released new data from their recent survey on Americans’ perception of the skilled trades. The findings also highlight what companies can do to help prepare and usher in new generations of hands-on workers in the face of an ongoing shortage of skilled trades people in America. Read more on the poll    Skilled Trades Education in the News This School Built High-End Training Sites on Campus to Prepare Students for Local Skilled Jobs Blue-Collar Jobs are Gaining Popularity as AI Threatens Office Work Graduation Day: Construction Students Finish Summer in Gladstone Did you receive this email from a friend? Click here to subscribe. Would you like to see this email in a browser? Click here. Copyright © 2025 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. All rights reserved. Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a philanthropic program of The Smidt Foundation, established by Harbor Freight Tools Founder Eric Smidt, to advance excellent skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools. Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is not part of Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc. (HFT), the national tool retailer.  THE TOOLKIT and HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS PRIZE FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE are registered trademarks owned or licensed by The Smidt Foundation. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.