Home Building Industry
and
Workforce Investment System
Partnerships To Build On!
Carolee Mills
Vice President for Workforce Development
Home Builders Institute
Washington, DC
What is This Session About?
Help Wanted!
Vital national industry, desperately
needs well-trained workers
offers excellent wages
has terrific career potential
seeks training and education partners
But, First, Who Are We?
National Association of Home Builders
 National trade association representing residential and light commercial
construction industry
 211,000 business members with a diverse occupational base .
…Product developers, suppliers, designers, estimators, craft workers,
managers, financiers, sales and marketing personnel, and more. . .
 Member businesses employ almost 9 million workers
 National network of 850 state and local Home Builder Association affiliates
And, the Home Builders Institute. . .
. . .The Workforce Development Arm of the National Association of
Home Builders
. . .35 year history of worker development for the home
building industry, typically training 3,000 – 5,000 workers each year
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Pre-Apprenticeship, Apprenticeship, and Job Corps training
Craft-skills standards, a new text book series, and a national
registry to track training competencies
Contextual learning and career exploration strategies
Local partnerships for mentoring, internships, and hands-on
building projects
Construction is one of the Nation’s largest industries. . .
Job
opportunities
continue to be
excellent
Construction offers more
opportunities than most other
industries for individuals who
want to own or run their own
business
Workers in construction have
relatively high hourly earnings
Construction is one of the
economy’s largest industries
Women in construction - showing
the greatest growth in the
number of women-owned firms
during the 1997-2002 period growth 36%
Work in construction offers a wide variety of career opportunities
Home Building…
… The backbone of the American economy
Vital segment of local, state, and national economies. . .
….
1 million + new single-family homes each
year + multi-family structures and remodeling
….
Construction of each 1,000 homes = 2,448 jobs,
over $85 million in wages, and $45 million in
taxes and fees
….
Overall home building represents 14% of the
Gross Domestic Product
And We Offer Great Career Opportunities!
Did you know?
More than 150+ occupations intersect in home construction
o Average annual employment in construction grew
to 6.7 million workers in 2001, a 48.8% increase
in 10 years!
o In contrast overall employment grew only 22%
during that period
o By 2010 the industry will need 1.5 million
replacement workers, plus an equal number of
new workers
Why is This Important?
Labor shortages and workforce development –
#1 industry issue for the past 4 years
The industry is facing. . .
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Serious shortage of skilled workers across the industry
Aging workforce
Lack of knowledge about careers in the industry
As a primarily small business based industry, training, education,
and career development is a challenge, and we need help!
To address industry training needs effectively. . .
…We need workforce partners in virtually
every community in the country
As a partner. . .
What do we have to offer?
 Industry-driven training models
 Local business partnerships
 True community spirit
As examples…
 Tidewater (VA) HBA has trained 90+ workers each year for more than 20
years, using workforce training resources, with 100% placement, and
new homes donated to local affordable housing coalition
 Ft. Worth (TX) HBA partners with KB Homes and local sub-contractors
to offer training for residents in conjunction with a major innercity redevelopment project
 Naples (FL) HBA, BIA of S. California, BCA of Wood River Valley (ID) partner
with schools on projects that increase school
retention, and
improve academic, and standardized test performance
 Kalispell (MT) HBA partners with a high school and Community College to
deliver post-secondary credentialing, and a seamless career pathway
 HBI is helping the 8 South Dakota HBAs and the South Dakota Department of
Labor to develop a statewide construction career exploration and
contextual learning project
And, this is just the tip of the iceberg! There are 850 potential partners for the
workforce system, plus extensive national resources at HBI
How can we help the workforce system?
Think of HBI as a One-Stop center for
residential construction
• Industry designed training for entry level workers in
construction crafts
• Career exploration through local partnerships
• National program models for youth and adults
As an example. . .
The Residential Construction Academy Series
The
Residential Construction Academy Series
Perfect way to introduce people of all ages to the building trades,
while developing essential workplace skills
Carpentry
Electrical
HVAC
Plumbing
Facilities Maintenance
Ideal for use in
workforce development training programs
high school programs
2-year college programs
Building Homes of Our Own. . .
An interactive instructional game presenting a macro
view of the entire home building process from site
selection to final sale
Players collect information, solve problems and make
choices as they build a 3D home against a budget
When complete, players review credit applications and
sell to the buyer of their choice
Build a Home, Build a Career
Build a Home, Build a Career
A series of academic lessons
Math, Science, Social Studies, and English – based
on actual examples from the home building industry
A career exploration module
that helps showcase careers from craft skills, to technical
and middle management, to professional opportunities
Internships, mentoring
making various levels of employment accessible
Externships for teachers
to help them gain a better understanding of the industry
Hands-on building labs
under the auspices of schools, to help students apply
academic learning
Craft Skills
Training through pre-apprenticeship and
apprenticeship programs
Projects that train across the country and
place special needs youth and adults such as
– displaced workers, veterans, homeless,
incarcerated, and mature workers
Career Development Model
Training Future Home Builders
Workplace Basics
Step 1
Full-time
employment
(Career Awareness, Life Skills, Job Search Skills,
Basic Skills)
3 weeks classroom training + 1 week internship
OJT (paid) in
desired field
3-6 months
Trades 101
Step 2
Continuing
Classroom and
hands-on training
12 weeks/40 hrs/wk
Full-time
employment
GED/
Basic
Skills
Advanced Skill
Training
Step 3
Studies
In specific trades areas
Classroom training
provided as required
3-6 months OJT (paid)
And/OR
Step 4
Registered Apprenticeship
Continuing Education,
College/certificate programs
We offer our partnership and ask for your help…
. . .Recruitment
. . .Promotion of industry careers
. . .Assistance with training and career development
Working together the result will be….
Greater access to the American dream!
The Home Building Industry
“A GREAT PLACE TO WORK”
Thank You
Carolee Mills