Help Dave Robideau Equip Future Skilled Workers

Hello!

My name is Dave Robideau, and I am proud to be serving in my 3rd year as the Advanced Manufacturing Instructor for Seattle Skills Center. In this role, I have been fortunate enough to guide students from diverse backgrounds from all over the city towards career paths and opportunities that may not be traditionally considered.

The manufacturing industry in the United States is currently experiencing a vacuum of trained and experienced tradespeople to make, maintain, and modify everything we use on a daily basis. As many tradespeople retire, and others advance into lead and supervisory roles, the number of skilled tradespeople on the job dwindles, and those jobs go unfilled, even if in high demand. My program strives to grow students into qualified members of this community so that they are prepared and employable straight out of my class, ever trying to reduce gendered, racial, and generational wage gaps.

To that end, I am in need of backing to get the material, consumables, and tooling related to welding, machining, and metal work in general. With this money, I will be able to keep the program running smoothly and make sure that my students have everything they need to walk away this year with the proper training and certifications for the future!

This position and program mean the world to me, and I often speak of the eureka moments that I get to share with students. Those moments when eyes light up, smiles spread across faces, and understanding settles in. As you may see in the video, those moments can make all the difference in their lives.

Thank you so much for considering helping, and please, if you can, continue to share this link so we can reach as many people as possible!

-Mr. R