Zekelman Industries sponsors 2018 Work Ethic scholarships

Chicago-based Zekelman Industries, a steel pipe and tube manufacturer, has announced its partial sponsorship of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation's 2018 Work Ethic Scholarship Program. The program awards scholarships to people attending trade schools to learn skills that are in demand, such as welding, pipefitting, and electrical contracting.

This is the program's fifth year. In 2017 the foundation awarded, or helped facilitate the awarding of, nearly $900,000 to 250 people. As CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, Mike Rowe—best known as "the dirtiest man on TV" from the hit series "Dirty Jobs"—speaks often about America's widening skills gap.

In addition to sponsoring the 2018 Work Ethic Scholarship Program, Zekelman Industries has launched a new grassroots initiative called American Metal. This initiative focuses on supporting the domestic steel industry and encouraging young people to build careers in the field.

"I'm the proof that success doesn't depend on a four-year degree," said Barry Zekelman, CEO and executive chairman. "I dropped out of college to help run my father's manufacturing business when he passed away in 1986. That business has grown to 2,300 employees with sales exceeding $2.7 billion. There are lots of stories like mine at varying levels, and with the help of the Work Ethic Scholarship Program, there will be many more."

For more information about the scholarship program and the American Metal initiative, visit www.chooseamericanmetal.com/scholarships.