As Worker Shortage in Building Industry Persists, Ohio Certifies Training in Trade Skills for Residential Construction; State's Secondary Schools Newly Eligible to Apply for Special Grants
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home Builders Institute (HBI) today announced that its curriculum for construction trade skills has been approved as an industry recognized certification by the State of Ohio. As a result, the state's secondary schools for the first time can apply for a special grant program to support residential construction trade skills programs. The grants are funded by The Home Depot Foundation and the National Housing Endowment. The deadline for application is March 31.
Under HBI's "School-to-Skills" program, eligible schools would receive funding to assist in creating or enhancing their construction trades programs with the inclusion of HBI's Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT) curriculum. To apply, school officials should visit www.hbi.org/s2s.
HBI trains skilled workers for the building industry. Its PACT curriculum is one of only three pre-apprenticeship programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. The nonprofit organization's programs are customized to meet the employment needs of the local building and construction businesses in the communities where they have been established. The new certification allows secondary schools in Ohio to license the PACT curriculum.
"The state's certification of HBI's curriculum means more opportunities for good paying jobs for young Ohioans," said Ed Brady, HBI's President and CEO. "The demand is huge right now for skilled labor in construction, across Ohio and the entire U.S., and it will continue to grow significantly over the next decade."
With the national jobless rate just under seven percent at the end of 2020, the housing industry was a clear bright spot and job creator. According to government data, the home building industry is short more than 200,000 workers as 2021 begins. A recent study from the Brookings Institution projects that nearly half of all openings over the next decade will be for "middle-skill" jobs, those requiring more than high school but less than a college degree.
"As is true throughout the country, the Ohio building industry needs more skilled trade workers. The white-, green-, and blue-collar jobs in residential construction create good wages and bright futures for workers, which benefit their families and the communities in which they live." said Mark Zollinger, president of the Ohio Home Builders Association (OHBA). "With the certification of HBI's curriculum, more Ohio students will gain the skills and hands-on experience they need to build careers in construction and related fields."
According to the OHBA, building one hundred new single-family homes creates 297 full-time jobs, generates $11.1 million in local, state, and federal tax revenue, and produces $28 million in business and wage revenue.
HBI is the country's leading, nonprofit provider of skills training for the building industry. It offers pre-apprenticeship training, job placement services, certification programs and online learning across the U.S. to high school students, at-risk youth, veterans and transitioning military, displaced workers, justice-involved youth and adults and others who seek to be a part of America's trained workforce. HBI is the largest, national training partner in the U.S. Department of Labor's Job Corps program. Prior to becoming HBI's CEO in 2018, Ed Brady Ed Brady was a Bloomington, IL-based builder and developer and 2016 Chairman of the National Association of Home Builders.
Visit www.hbi.org for more information and follow on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
SOURCE Home Builders Institute (HBI)
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