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HELP to Target College Grads for Residential Construction
 The National Housing Endowment, the philanthropic arm of NAHB, is launching HELP ― the Homebuilding Education Leadership Program ― to bolster college and university residential construction management programs around the country. The goal is to triple the number of college graduates entering the home building industry over the next decade.
“The National Housing Endowment is initiating our new ‘cornerstone’ program, HELP, in response to the documented, ongoing management needs within our industry,” said Gary Garczynski, endowment chairman and 2002 NAHB president. “If we do not invest in our future, who else will?”
Many of today’s colleges that offer construction programs only emphasize commercial construction management. HELP will provide grants to two- and four-year colleges and universities to move them toward creating or enhancing residential construction management programs.
HELP grants will be used to:
- Increase the number of faculty and courses related to residential construction.
- Encourage creating an actual degree program with a specialized track or minor.
- Encourage creating and strengthening of relationships with local and state home builders associations and the NAHB Student Chapters program.
- Insure that students have access to practical work experiences and mentoring opportunities with NAHB membership.
Schools will be expected to leverage these grants to create permanent funding for a residential program.
The endowment will establish an advisory panel including academia, NAHB and its affiliates, industry recruiters and industry leaders to identify the initial recipients of the grant awards.
“We will approach these universities judicially and very deliberately,” Garczynski said. “We are excited by the direction that the endowment is taking and believe that this program will have a profound impact on the industry for generations to come.”
For more information on HELP, visit www.nationalhousingendowment.org.
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