Our Sites

Marines to start nonprofit aimed at connecting veterans with the skilled trades

Veterans of the U.S. Marine Corps have rallied together to start the Guns to Arcs Program, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Atlanta, aimed at connecting unemployed veterans with the welding industry and skilled trades.

Launching its initial fundraising campaign on Jan. 7, 2015, the group hopes to raise awareness about AWS estimates of a skilled-welder shortage of nearly 220,000 by 2020. In addition to this, it will focus much of its efforts on the roughly 200,000 unemployed veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as well as service members from previous generations looking for work.

The program was started by Marines Garrison Foster and Andre Brooks after seeing a need to connect friends from their previous units with the welding industry. A graduate of the Georgia Trade School located in Kennesaw, Ga., Cpl. Foster decided it was time for a new program that would not only drastically help and change the lives of his best friends, but also help save an industry that is looking at a mass retirement by 2020.

After the initial launch campaign, the group hopes to cover tuition costs for service members and to provide online resources and additional training to help them be successful within the industry and beyond. For more information, e-mail gfoster1277@gmail.com.