EOLIA, Mo.– Pike Lincoln Technical Center’s welding instructor, Aaron Ervin, was selected as a recipient of the 2022 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. Ervin and Pike Lincoln Technical Center were presented with a $50,000 check at a surprise ceremony Tuesday morning at the campus. Pike Lincoln Technical Center’s high school skilled trades program will receive $35,000 and Ervin will receive $15,000.

In total, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is awarding $1.25 million in prizes to 20 skilled trades teachers nationwide. Ervin was in competition with 768 award applicants for the impressive prize. His skills, compassion for students, and excellence in the trade, allowed for the welding instructor to stand out amongst applicants.

“I have been excited, nervous, and I feel like I have been waiting forever for this day to come. Coming in today, seeing the toolbox rolled out, and seeing the big check with Pike Lincoln’s name on it was pretty overwhelming,” shared Ervin.

The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence was started in 2017 by Eric Smidt, the founder of national tool retailer Harbor Freight Tools. Smidt established the prize to recognize outstanding instruction in the skilled trades in U.S. public high schools, and the teachers who inspire students to learn skills to prepare for life after graduation. As research from JFF and funded by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools found, students who “concentrate” (or take multiple trades courses as part of a program) are more likely to graduate than their peers. Upon graduation, students are prepared for either further education or work in fields that routinely rank among the hardest jobs to fill and that have come to be widely recognized as “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2022 prize included three rounds of judging, each by an independent panel of experts from industry, education, trades, philanthropy and civic leadership. The application process, which included responses to questions and a series of video learning modules, was designed to solicit each teacher’s experience. Instructors were encouraged to share insights, creative ideas about their approach to teaching, and success in helping their students achieve excellence in the skilled trades.

In June, the field was narrowed to 50 finalists. The high school skilled trades programs of the 30 finalists who were not named winners today will each receive a $1,000 gift card from Harbor Freight Tools.

Aaron Ervin has taught welding for ten years at Pike Lincoln Technical Center, where he initially began his training while attending Clopton High School. After graduation, he had a wide variety of work experiences: fabricating and erecting steel structure buildings, cutting apart bombs at a marine base in Twentynine Palms, Calfornia, building huge car furnaces, setting up remote control excavation equipment, and more. While working in the field, he had the opportunity to train multiple welders and found a passion for helping others.

The opportunity to switch to education came in December of 2011. PLTC suffered a devastating fire. As a result, the welding program temporarily moved to a local shop a fraction of the facility’s size with limited equipment.

“My former instructor was retiring and asked if I was interested in taking over for him. At 22 years old, I was kind of shocked that he sought me out for the position. I guess he saw something in me that I didn’t necessarily see in myself,” said Ervin.

Ervin accepted the center’s welding position the following year, rebuilding the program from the ground up. The program now features 26 welding booths and around 50 students sign up every year.

One of Ervin’s favorite parts of being a skilled trades teacher is helping to change the trajectory of students’ lives. He has seen students grow as they progress through his program, dedicating extra time to their craft, winning competitions and scholarships, and eventually advancing through paid internships and employment opportunities. In his 10 years teaching at PLTC, Ervin’s students have won more than $455,000 in prizes. Many companies actively seek his graduates because of their competitive success, leading to direct employment offers. Other graduates attend post-secondary welding schools, join the military and secure union apprenticeships.

In his application, Ervin shared direct feedback from one of his former students, who said, “One thing I will never forget is when I would complete a task. You always asked if I would sign my name on it, like an artist does after the work is completed and he is satisfied with his work. I still hold myself to this standard years after graduating. I have been with the same company, American Boiler and Mechanical, since I graduated. I love what I do and am so thankful I had you to guide me along, even after graduating.”

The mission of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is to increase understanding, support and investment in skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools.

“We cannot overstate the impact that high school skilled trades teachers are having in the classroom. Hands-on skilled trades classes are making a comeback, and we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate the accomplishments of these remarkable teachers and their programs,’’ said Danny Corwin, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools.

Overall, there are winners from 15 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

The winning teachers come from a variety of skilled trades career pathways including automotive, construction, carpentry, industrial technology, welding, agricultural mechanics, and machining.