A petition to Governor-elect Helena Foulkes
Help bring hands-on manufacturing and skilled-trades education back to Rhode Island public schools.
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On April 9, 2026, Rhode Island’s governor and the Community College of Rhode Island described a proposed $60 million bond for a Workforce Innovation Center. The planned 44,000-square-foot facility would provide hands-on training in advanced manufacturing, construction, welding and other fields, and help create pathways to employers. The announcement said the bond required General Assembly approval, so the center and investment remain proposals, not completed funding.
We urge Governor-elect Helena Foulkes and the incoming administration to bring manufacturing and skilled-trades education back to Rhode Island public schools, working with school districts, educators, manufacturers, and the General Assembly to:
Increase career awareness so students and families understand manufacturing and skilled trades as valuable career options.
Restore and expand modern shop classes and hands-on technical education where access is missing or limited.
Expand opportunities for students to earn school credit through supervised, age-appropriate employment and on-the-job training, including paid opportunities.
Give schools the resources to deliver these programs, including equipment, qualified instructors, transportation, and shared technical facilities serving multiple schools where appropriate.
Create or expand incentives for manufacturers to partner with schools, host student learning experiences, and provide training.
Encourage and incentivize donations of funding, usable equipment, materials, and expertise to support school manufacturing and trades programs.
Build Rhode Island Futures is a petition from the American Manufacturing Association. We urge Governor-elect Helena Foulkes and the incoming administration to bring manufacturing and skilled-trades education back to Rhode Island public schools.
Manufacturing and skilled trades offer rewarding careers that build things people use every day.
Hands-on learning helps students discover what they are good at, and it gives them a path to a steady job after high school.
When schools, manufacturers, and communities work together, more students can see these careers as real options for their future.
The American Manufacturing Association (AMFGA), based in Frisco, Texas, connects manufacturers, educators, and community members to strengthen manufacturing and skilled-trades careers. We organize this petition as an educational public-benefit initiative, and it is not a political campaign.
American Manufacturing Association, Frisco, Texas