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Innovative HBI Program Builds Housing Workforce
Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of NAHB, will be among the presenters at Workforce Innovations, the annual conference being hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration, July 11-13 in Anaheim, Calif.
A session entitled “Build Off Their Success: Highly Effective Construction Programs for Youth” will highlight HBI’s “Building Today’s Workforce for Tomorrow” program, which has been funded by DOL under the President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative.
An hour-long learning lab will focus on the program’s effectiveness in recruiting, training, educating and preparing students for careers in residential construction. While one goal of “Building Today’s Workforce for Tomorrow” is to introduce students to employment opportunities in the building industry, another is to disseminate its success stories so that the program can be implemented on a wider scale.
The learning lab will discuss implementation of the HBI program at a site in rural Idaho and how it has helped attract students to careers in the home building industry.
“We are delighted to have a chance to tell workforce development stakeholders about the home building industry and how we are tapping its enormous potential through this program,” said HBI Chairman Mike Sivage. “When you look at the different groups we’ve been able to bring together in all 10 states, it’s truly innovative. The great thing is that ultimately the students, the communities and our industry all benefit — it’s an ideal venue to share this kind of success.”
The $4.2 million grant has enabled home builders associations to lead local efforts to partner with K-12 school districts, community colleges, Job Corps Centers, workforce development boards and area employers where students learn craft skills, obtain their high school diplomas and pursue an associate’s degree or equivalent credential.
The HBI program is being conducted at rural, urban and suburban sites in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia, and successes at those locations will be used to develop a model program that can be replicated nationwide.
HBI is a gold sponsor at Workforce Innovations, which is attended by more than 3,000 professionals involved in education and workforce development.
For more information on the “Building Today’s Workforce for Tomorrow” grant, e-mail John Shortt at HBI, or call him at 800-795-7955 x8935.
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