The Home Depot Foundation Invests $10 Million in Skilled Trades Training

As students nationwide return to school, The Home Depot Foundation is investing $10 million to broaden access to skilled trades training and education. This investment includes a new $1 million partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), designed to introduce more young people to career opportunities in the construction trades.

Through the Foundation's Path to Pro program – focused on helping to fill the skilled labor gap – the partnership with BGCA launches a two-year pilot in Boys & Girls Clubs across Atlanta, Phoenix and Houston that will introduce more than a thousand children and teens to careers in carpentry, electrical, HVAC and plumbing. Integrated within Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Life & Workforce Readiness Program, Club members will learn new skills, gain hands-on experiences and have opportunities to apply their skills by working alongside Team Depot, The Home Depot's associate volunteer force, on community-based projects.

"The skilled trades offer some of the most promising career paths, yet many young people either aren’t aware of or lack access to these opportunities," said Erin Izen, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. "This investment in our Path to Pro nonprofit partners – including our new partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America – empowers students to hone these new skills while also strengthening the future of the construction industry."

Despite approximately 400,000 job openings in the skilled construction trades, only a small fraction of young workers entering the labor market express interest in pursuing careers in these fields. A study by Home Builders Institute (HBI) and the University of Denver projects this workforce gap could cost the residential construction industry $10.8 billion due to longer build times and a loss of production on single-family homes. With many skilled trades workers retiring in the coming decade, early exposure to these careers is vital to build a sustainable pipeline of talent.

“At Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we’re committed to helping young people explore meaningful opportunities that set them up for success,” said Jennifer Bateman, senior vice president of youth development. “This partnership with The Home Depot Foundation opens doors to skilled trades careers, empowering thousands of youth to discover their potential and build great futures.”

Beyond the partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, this investment also helps expand programming with existing partners, such as HBI, which will use funds to grow its pre-apprenticeship certification to nearly 2,000 more high school students and 25 additional schools; continue its initiative with 100 Black Men of America; and maintain its military transition programs focused on trades training, certification and job placement.

New grants will also support separating service members, military families and veterans, such as through Folds of Honor scholarships for those entering or enrolling in accredited trade schools. Construction Ready and SkillPointe Foundation will also receive funding for classroom and hands-on training and scholarships that will help pave the way for students pursuing careers in the skilled trades.

These Foundation initiatives co-exist alongside the company’s Path to Pro programs, including the free online Skills Program and the Path to Pro Network, which now has a database of more than 65,000 candidates seeking employment in the skilled trades.

Source : The Home Depot

Image : The Home Depot

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