Wednesday afternoon, MPS announced that Bradley Tech High School received a $250,000 gift from the Bucyrus Foundation, a donor-advised fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, to go toward expanding the school's welding lab.

The $250,000 gift will add four welding stations to the Bradley Tech lab, which was formally named the Bucyrus Foundation Welding Lab – complete with a metal sign designed and created by students. According to Susie Stein, philanthropic counsel for the Bradley Tech Foundation, the additional four lab stations will help accommodate the "ever-growing student demand for welding instruction."

Bucyrus' gift also includes further contributions to the operations of the welding department during 2015-16.

"We are particularly enthused that student demand has created the impetus for this expansion," said Tim Sullivan, director of the Bucyrus Foundation and president/CEO of Gardner Denver.

"The message that manufacturing is a good and noble profession providing family sustaining income is finally getting through to the youth in our community. These young people will become tomorrow's welders throughout Greater Milwaukee. I welcome them to a great future in our industry."

Bradley Tech is one of four MPS high schools currently offering welding education, along with Casimir Pulaski High School, Harold S. Vincent High School and the School of Career and Technical Education. Welding is just one program amongst MPS' Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings, which are currently available in a total of 12 MPS high schools and are based in part on current labor market information.