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During Homer visit, Wells Fargo makes $250K investment in Alaska trades training

Published 11:30 am Wednesday, July 29, 2026

By Alexander Vaz

Governor Mike Dunleavy shares a laugh with Mike Rowe and Bay Weld employee Kele Bottineau in Homer July 23 as Wells Fargo provided $250,000 for the Alaska Vocational and Technical Center. (Courtesy of Wells Fargo)
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Governor Mike Dunleavy shares a laugh with Mike Rowe and Bay Weld employee Kele Bottineau in Homer July 23 as Wells Fargo provided $250,000 for the Alaska Vocational and Technical Center. (Courtesy of Wells Fargo)

Governor Mike Dunleavy shares a laugh with Mike Rowe and Bay Weld employee Kele Bottineau in Homer July 23 as Wells Fargo provided $250,000 for the Alaska Vocational and Technical Center. (Courtesy of Wells Fargo)
Governor Mike Dunleavy joins Mike Rowe, Bay Weld employee Kele Bottineau and Bay Weld Boats owner and CEO Eric Engebretsen in Homer July 23 as Wells Fargo provided $250,000 for the Alaska Vocational and Technical Center. (Courtesy of Wells Fargo)

Wells Fargo is helping remove barriers for Alaskans seeking to obtain career training in the skilled trades.

On July 23, the Alaska Vocational and Technical Center (AVTEC), a division of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD), received a $250,000 donation from Wells Fargo to expand scholarship opportunities for Alaskans to obtain vocational training, as well as for faculty support.

The donation to one of the leading vocational centers in the state was announced at an event hosted at Homer’s Bay Weld Boats and attended by Governor Mike Dunleavy, local leaders, bank representatives, Bay Weld Boats employees, and AVTEC director Cory Ortiz.

“Alaska is the land of opportunity to build rewarding careers in a broad array of industries,” Dunleavy said. “Public and private sector investment, working together, can provide more options for economic growth, and the development of the next generation of Alaskans to get and retain great jobs.”

The event also featured Mike Rowe from “Dirty Jobs,” whose mikeroweWORKS Foundation has funded scholarships across the nation to prepare Americans for careers in the trades. Alaskans have applied for the scholarship and have been awarded them to help fund tuition at AVTEC.

Ortiz said that the Wells Fargo donation is an investment in Alaska’s future workforce.

“Every scholarship awarded and every instructor we recruit and retain strengthens our ability to prepare skilled Alaskans for high-demand careers that keep our state moving,” he said. “We’re incredibly grateful for Wells Fargo’s partnership and their commitment to expanding opportunity for students across our state.”

Jason Rosenberg, Wells Fargo head of public affairs, added that strong communities depend on a skilled workforce and access to opportunity, and the company’s support of AVTEC is an investment in Alaska’s workforce and its long-term economic growth.

DOLWD commissioner Cathy Muñoz said that she is grateful for Wells Fargo’s support of workforce development at AVTEC.

“Expanding support for Alaskans will open to door for more Alaskans to attend industry-recognized training,” she said.

Located in Seward, AVTEC allows Alaskans from across the state to gain key employability and technical skills and start a career in less than a year.

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