Five years ago, we launched a new prize to honor the essential but undervalued work of high school skilled trades teachers. Since then, the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence has become one of the most respected and sought-after prizes in career and technical education. With this year’s prize, we’ll have awarded over $6 million to more than 100 U.S. public high school teachers and their schools – supporting tens of thousands of students along the way.
We deeply appreciate the work skilled trades teachers do to prepare and inspire our next generation of tradespeople. Their work is urgent, because while our country’s need for building and repairs is growing, our skilled trades workforce is shrinking. To step up the respect, recognition, and validation skilled trades teachers deserve, we’re increasing the annual prize to $1.25 million and plan to honor and support 20 more outstanding teachers this year.
Prizewinning teachers tell us the prize has not only been a source of pride, it also has attracted more students to their classes, and new business and union partners. Dennis Johnson, a prizewinning automotive repair teacher at Fallbrook High School in Fallbrook, CA, shared that “Winning the prize has had a huge impact on myself as well as the school. It winds up being an opportunity to be respected and supported and do things you would have never dreamed you could do.”
The 2022 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence will be awarded in the fall, and teachers can submit applications until May 20, 2022. Do you know an excellent public high school skilled trades teacher? Please encourage them to apply at hftforschoolsprize.org.
Thank you for helping share our respect and admiration for these incredible teachers!
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