How to Nominate a Student for an Apprentice Tool Grant — A 15-Minute Walkthrough

If you've never submitted a nomination for the Apprentice Tool Grant, here's the whole process in plain English. It takes about fifteen minutes. The form does the heavy lifting.

Step 1: Confirm your student qualifies.

A student is eligible if they're a graduating Virginia high school senior who completed a qualifying hard-trades CTE program, earned an industry-recognized credential, and is heading directly into full-time work in the trade — an apprenticeship or a trade employer. They also need to qualify for free lunch under the federal school meals program, which you can confirm from your school's existing records.

If you're not sure whether the program or credential counts, check the qualifying courses list. If it's still ambiguous, email us before you submit — we'd rather answer a question than turn away a student who fits.

Step 2: Gather the information you'll need.

Before you open the form, have these on hand:

• Your student's name, graduation date, and contact info

• The CTE program they completed

• The credential they earned and when

• What they're doing after graduation — the apprenticeship, employer, or program they're entering

• Confirmation that the student qualifies for free lunch (from your records)

• A short paragraph from you in your own words — why this student, why this nomination

You don't need a recommendation letter from anyone else. You don't need transcripts. You don't need parent signatures. You're the advocate; your judgment is the credential.

Step 3: Submit the form.

The form is straightforward — most nominators finish it in twelve to fifteen minutes. You don't need to draft anything in advance. Open it, fill it in, hit submit.

What happens next:

You'll get a confirmation email immediately. We review and verify the nomination, usually within a week or two. If approved, we coordinate with your student to build their tool list — they email us a shopping cart of what they need for the trade they're entering, we buy it, we ship it. You'll get updates along the way, and if you want to be the one to hand the tools to the student, just tell us — we'll ship to you.

That's the whole thing. No essays from the student. No financial disclosure from the family. No fees. No catch.

Ready to nominate?Open the nomination form →