FREDERICK COUNTY – Barrett Machine, Inc. announced today that five scholarships have been created for graduates seeking a career in the trades. Graduating high school seniors in Clarke County Public Schools (Clarke County High), Frederick County Public Schools (James Wood High, Millbrook High, Sherando High), and Winchester Public Schools (John Handley High) are eligible for the $1,000 award each to be used for trade schools and classes, apprenticeships, or employer requirements such as tooling. Scholarships will be managed by each school district’s educational foundations. Recipients must have chosen a career pathway within a trade in Automotive, Carpentry & Construction, Electrical, HVAC, Industrial Maintenance, Machining, Metal Fabrication & Welding, Millwright & Rigging, Plumbing, Small Engine Repair, or Technical Drawing & Design.
Barrett Machine, Inc. began its operation in 1991 in Frederick County, Virginia by founder and owner Mike Barrett. Barrett Machine, Inc. is a turnkey provider of machining, metal fabrication, and industrial maintenance and services. Mr. Barrett sees the need for the trades as a necessity and tremendous value to the community. After graduating high school, Mr. Barrett went directly into the workforce at a small metal fabrication shop and learned the trades of machining, fabricating, and welding. He stayed engaged in the metal business and utilized his skillset to grow as an accomplished tradesman. Years later, with a wife and two small children, having to work twelve hours a day, six days a week, with an hour-long commute one way, Mr. Barrett decided to pursue his own business. Starting from the ground up, he rented a small shop in Winchester and began knocking on doors of local manufacturing facilities to try and fill their machining and metal fabrication needs. It was a couple of years later before he hired his first employee. Throughout the years, he has had the privilege of working with, learning from, and mentoring many of the best machinists and fabricators in the metal trades within the community. Twenty-eight years later, with forty employees, a newly built 36,000 square foot facility, state of the art equipment, full service machine and fabrication shops, and the addition of an industrial services division, Mr. Barrett never has forgotten the value of skilled trades and where he came from, the hard work and dedication it takes to succeed, and the valuable information he has learned as a skilled tradesman. He continues to encourage others to follow their dreams, with hopes that many young adults will pursue a career in the trades.
The Barrett Machine Trades Scholar award has been established to give graduating high school seniors the opportunity to take classes, attend technical or vocational school, receive an apprenticeship, pursue additional training, or enter the workforce with the tools needed to succeed with a career in a skilled trade. The trades are always in demand, provide a good living and profitable career, and there is always ample opportunity and strong job security. The Barrett Machine Trades Scholar award is a step forward in improving the community’s workforce development and providing youth with an opportunity for hands-on skill sets.
Barrett Machine, Inc. takes pride in the products and services that they offer and look forward to continuing to employ a talented and skilled workforce to fulfill their needs. Continued support in the trades will ultimately fill the skills gap that the community currently faces, encourage interest in the trades, train for the jobs at hand, and keep the career and technical education at the forefront. Whether it be a small family-owned business or a large manufacturing facility, the success of the community’s future workforce relies greatly on talented and skilled trades.
The Clarke County Education Foundation (CCEF), a non-profit organization with a current board of 14 members and a part-time executive director, is dedicated to providing private support to the Clarke County Public Schools (CCPS) to enhance its tax-supported programs. Founded in 1991, the CCEF has provided more than $2.5 million in student scholarships, teacher grants, system demonstration grants, and donor-defined projects through a combination of fund-raising and endowment income since its inception. For more information about this scholarship or the others we award each year, visit: https://ccefinc.org/scholarships/student-scholarships/
To view the Winchester Star article which was published on May 20, 2019, click here.
