The number of U.S. secondary schools embracing trade skills curriculums is growing, according to the Home Builders Institute (HBI), with the nonprofit reporting it has experienced more than a 300% increase in the number of schools licensing its trade skills curriculum since the start of the pandemic. HBI programs are now present in 240 schools in 37 states, compared with 79 schools in 14 states in 2019.
“For decades, technical education took a backseat to the college-bound track in our schools,” says HBI president and CEO Ed Brady. “That kept millions of young people from considering the lucrative post-secondary opportunities in the trades. The trend is definitely turning.”
Included in the 240 participating schools are those funded by HBI’s School to Skills grant initiative, which provides HBI’s curriculum free to schools and students. According to the HBI, the program has funded more than $1.7 million in trade programs across 33 states in 159 schools since launching in 2019. The Home Depot Foundation and the National Housing Endowment are sponsors of the Schools to Skills’ program and the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) and the Truist Foundation provided funding for the program in 2021.
“The economics of the pandemic have changed the perception of careers in construction,” Brady says. “Educators, parents, and students themselves once again are seeing how valuable trade skills can be for young people entering the workforce today.”
According to the Spring 2022 HBI Construction Labor Market Report, half of payroll workers in construction earn more than $49,070 annually, and the top 25% earn at least $75,820. In comparison, the U.S. median wage is $45,760, and the top quartile wage is at least $68,590. The report also highlighted that the construction industry needs 740,000 new skilled tradespeople each year for the next three years to keep up with housing demands.
“The skilled construction labor shortage has reached crisis levels, in no small part because as a nation for too long we have given trade skills training the short shrift,” Brady says. “We urgently need to introduce younger students to the trades and get them excited about construction. HBI’s curriculum is aligned switch STEM and offers a great alternative for students who can’t or don’t want to pursue four-year college after graduation.”
HBI’s curriculum, recognized and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, provides free, hands-on construction trades training and certification to middle and high school students.
