Premier Metal Supplier Awards $20,000 to Trades Students Across North America

TORONTO, Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Metal Supermarkets, the world’s largest supplier of small-quantity metals, has announced the recipients of its 2026 Trade School Scholarship, awarding $2,500 each to eight trades students at post-secondary schools across the United States and Canada.

This year, Metal Supermarkets doubled its scholarship funding from $10,000 to $20,000 to provide financial support to more young people pursuing valuable careers in the skilled trades and to strengthen its commitment to the industry, which is facing a significant workforce shortage and skills gap in welding talent. In the United States, over 320,000 welding professionals are projected to be needed by 2029. Similarly, in Canada, over 256,000 skilled tradespeople will be needed over the next decade to meet demand. This demand is compounded by an aging workforce, with an estimated five tradespeople retiring for every two new workers entering the field.

To address this critical skills gap and to raise awareness of the vital trades industry, Metal Supermarkets created the annual Trade School Scholarship in 2022. Since its launch, the company has awarded $60,000 to students who are pursuing meaningful careers in the trades.

“Metal Supermarkets is proud to support and empower the future generation of skilled tradespeople through our annual Trade School Scholarship program. This year, we will help eight trades students pursue their education, develop their skills and build rewarding careers in the essential trades,” said Ryan Pryznyk, President and CEO of Metal Supermarkets. “We extend our sincere congratulations to this year’s recipients: Gabriel Bautista, Natalie MacKell, Cole Paradis, Lane Waddell, Carmendy Andrews, Luke Maxwell, Joshua Henry and Talus Harris. We wish them the best of luck as they continue their journey toward a career in the trades.”  

Introducing the 2026 Metal Supermarkets Trade School Scholarship Recipients:

• Gabriel Rojas Bautista (Kansas City, Missouri)
  School: State Technical College Of Missouri
  Program: Diesel Technology, Off-Road Heavy Equipment, CAT

• Natalie MacKell (Calgary, Alberta)
  School: Olds College of Agriculture & Technology
  Program: Welder Apprenticeship

• Cole Paradis (Southbridge, Massachusetts)
  School: University of Northwestern Ohio
  Program: High Performance Motorsports/Automotive Technology

• Lane Waddell (Russiaville, Indiana)
  School: Hobart Institute of Welding Technology
  Program: Pathways Welding Program

• Carmendy Andrews (Douglas, Ontario)
  School: Loyalist College
  Program: Welding Techniques

• Luke Maxwell (Danielsville, Georgia)
  School: North Georgia Technical College
  Program: Precision Machining and Manufacturing

• Joshua Henry (Hutchinson, Kansas)
  School: McPherson College
  Program: Automotive Restoration

• Talus Harris (Fort Collins, Colorado)
  School: Front Range Community College
  Program: Forestry Technology (Arborist)

The 2026 Trade School Scholarship judging panel consisted of Metal Supermarkets’ corporate staff, as well as franchisees from stores in Indianapolis, IN; Charleston, SC; Commerce City, CO; Kansas City, KS; Cleveland, OH; and Toronto, ON.

To learn more about the Metal Supermarkets Trade School Scholarship and to discover past recipients, visit: https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/trade-school-scholarship/.

ABOUT METAL SUPERMARKETS

Metal Supermarkets, the world’s largest supplier of small-quantity metals, has been providing fast, convenient service to customers for over 40 years. The company operates over 140 brick-and-mortar stores across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with over 15 franchise locations in development. Known for its speed and convenience, Metal Supermarkets sells a wide variety of metals including Aluminum, Hot-Rolled Steel, Cold-Rolled Steel, Stainless Steel, Alloy Steel, Galvanized Steel, Tool Steel, Brass, Bronze and Copper. With highly specialized staff, customers can get the metal they need, cut to size, with a wide variety of value-added metal processing services available including Production Cutting, Shearing, Plate Cutting, Bending, Drilling, Hole Punching, Notching, Delivery and more. For more information about how Metal Supermarkets is helping customers today and tomorrow, visit the Metal Supermarkets website, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Metal Supermarkets Franchising America Inc.