In a significant boost to veteran career transition efforts, the PenFed Foundation has awarded a grant to the SMART Heroes Foundation, expanding support for a program that has already helped over 600 military veterans trade their combat fatigues for construction gear.

The grant will support the foundation's intensive seven-week sheet metal training program, which has been transforming military careers into civilian success stories since 2017. The program's impact was recently highlighted at a November reception where industry partners celebrated its achievements.

"The PenFed Foundation is proud to support SMART Heroes Foundation in providing sheet metal training for veterans," said PenFed Foundation President Andrea McCarren. "We appreciate the program is offered at no cost to veterans, which reduces financial burdens and allows service members to focus on transitioning into their new civilian careers."

The initiative's effectiveness has drawn praise from high-profile figures, including Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut and U.S. Navy captain, who attended the recent reception.

"It's a model that other unions and other companies need to follow," Kelly said in our last story on SMART Heroes.

For veterans like Kurtis Mancuso, a Colorado Springs graduate who faced uncertainty about supporting his expected child near his Army discharge date, the program has been transformative.

"SMART Heroes was the only program that kept reaching out to me," Mancuso reflected. "I am very, very thankful to the SMART Heroes program. Veterans need that. Without it, some of us don't do very good."

The program's success relies heavily on industry partnerships, as emphasized by SMART Heroes Specialist Joshua Moore: "We want veterans to start a new career in the sheet metal industry with a family sustaining wage and benefits. We at the SMART Heroes Foundation feel a solid skillset and support system are important variables in the successful transition to the civilian workforce for veterans."

This support system includes partners like DeWalt, which recently announced plans to expand its involvement. "Continue to fund these programs," urged Jon Howland, DeWalt's director of trade marketing and a Navy veteran. "They're so important." Howland committed to supplying products and tools should SMART Heroes open a third location beyond its current sites in Western Washington and Colorado Springs.

For many participants, the program offers more than technical training—it provides a familiar sense of community. As Western Washington graduate Kevin Moore noted, "The veterans need this program. All veterans need is that same environment only without bullets flying at them."

The initiative has demonstrated remarkable success, with approximately 60% of graduates actively working in the trade nationwide and an additional 5% ready to join apprenticeships upon military discharge. Graduates can enter any of the 150 training centers across the country as second-year apprentices, receiving credit for their 224-hour intensive training.

With PenFed Foundation's new grant and continued support from industry partners, SMART Heroes aims to serve approximately 120 transitioning service members annually, providing them with the skills and opportunities needed for successful civilian careers in the sheet metal industry.