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Initiative Aimed at Attracting Young Hispanic Workers
 Team Builders, the first project of its kind, will introduce 25 college students to careers in residential construction management this summer through internships at Beazer Homes offices across the country.
The program was launched on March 8 by the Home Builders Institute (HBI) in partnership with Beazer Homes and LOFT (Latinos on the Fast Track), an initiative of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and the Hispanic College Fund.
“Team Builders is a laudable initiative spearheaded by HBI to introduce a new generation of
 Hispanic college students to an industry they might not otherwise consider,” said Michael Sivage, HBI’s chairman of the board of trustees and a builder/developer in Albuquerque, N.M. “I hope Beazer Homes’ sponsorship is the first of many by NAHB members. I can’t think of a better industry for our nation’s top students to consider, and believe that many will agree with me by the end of the summer.”
Although Hispanic students have not historically been the focus of home builders’ recruitment efforts, the growing number of Latinos making up the industry’s workforce and its customer base spurred HBI to establish Team Builders.
 The nation’s largest minority, Hispanics make up more than 14% of the U.S. population and 10% of the construction-related workforce. Moreover, with Latinos expected to be responsible for more than two-thirds of overall workforce growth in the next 15 years but less than 1% of the growth in management positions, Beazer Homes recognized the opportunity and was the first to answer HBI’s call to action.
“Recruiting talented employees is an important component of Beazer Homes’ growth strategy within an industry such as home building, which exhibits robust long-term fundamentals and future prospects,” said Ian McCarthy, the company’s president. “As such, the opportunity to partner with HBI on the Team Builders program was timely and we are very pleased to be first to pilot this endeavor among the top 10 national home builders. This program will help us connect with a previously untapped workforce and give young Hispanic people the opportunity to experience the home building industry at a critical decision-making time in their lives. We hope their internships will be personally rewarding and enlightening.”
The Team Builders program will feature an industry-tailored orientation to educate and galvanize the students, as well as a newsletter to keep them informed about the industry during and after their 10-week experience this summer, which will end with a mentoring component.
In addition, Team Builders will track students’ careers to ensure sustainability, as well as conduct informal surveys with the students and Beazer managers to help gauge the success of the program. HBI plans to expand the minority recruitment program with the participation of other NAHB members.
For more information, e-mail Page Browning at HBI, or call her at 800-795-7955.
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