The Shadow
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
seth.bradley@ahps.k12.va.us. 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.
