The Home Depot Foundation and Home Builders Institute Partner with 100 Black Men of America, Inc. to Provide Skilled Trades Training Opportunities for Youth in Underserved Communities

ATLANTA, June 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home Depot Foundation and its trades training nonprofit partner, Home Builders Institute (HBI), are launching a strategic partnership with 100 Black Men of America, Inc. to increase skilled trades training and career opportunities for Black youth.

This fall, the three organizations will launch a pilot trades training program serving marginalized communities across Atlanta, Philadelphia and San Francisco. The program will offer skill building workshops, work experience, internship opportunities and industry-recognized PACT certifications. The programs are set to prepare Black youth for meaningful careers and will be facilitated through 100 Black Men of America's existing afterschool programs.

Additionally, The Home Depot Foundation activated a novel partnership with its hometown nonprofit partner, Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE). RICE is driven by community impact and devoted to empowering Black entrepreneurs and small business owners. The Foundation will provide construction support for an outdoor creativity space at the RICE facility called, "The Yard."

"As we work to fill the nearly 300,000 open career opportunities across the skilled trades industry, we have to continue advocating for the inclusion of diverse talent," said Shannon Gerber, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. "The Foundation is energized to team up with Home Builders Institute, 100 Black Men of America, Inc. and The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs to focus on eliminating racial and social inequities through education and workforce development programs." 

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2020 shows that skilled labor industries are dominated by white males, while Black people and women are disproportionately underrepresented. Black tradespeople represent only six percent of the construction, architecture and engineering workforces.

"We are thrilled to receive this generous grant from Home Depot. This investment will help us expand our youth workforce and career readiness initiatives with a specific focus on the building trades that are so vital to the economic recovery," said Chuck Baker, chairman of the board, 100 Black Men of the Bay Area.

"The most important thing we will achieve through this partnership is to give young people a chance to work hard at work worth doing," said Tadar Muhammad, HBI's senior vice president for strategic partnerships and development. "We know that when our students acquire marketable trade skills, we give them a shot at improving every element of their lives and the lives around them."

Recently, The Home Depot Foundation introduced its $250,000 Path to Pro scholarship program and granted $30,000 in scholarships to celebrate the students of SkillsUSA's National Signing Day. Both efforts were established to train the next generations of skilled tradespeople. For more information on the Path to Pro scholarship program, visit https://www.myscholarship.app/home-depot-foundation.

About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap and support communities impacted by natural disasters. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $375 million in veteran causes and improved more than 50,000 veteran homes and facilities. The Foundation has pledged to invest half of a billion dollars in veteran causes by 2025 and $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program. 

To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and on Facebook and Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.

About Home Builders Institute
The Home Builders Institute (HBI) trains skilled workers for the building industry. Through pre- apprenticeship training, certification programs and job placement services, HBI provides graduates with the skills and experience they need to build a career and change their lives. Visit www.hbi.org for more information on HBI and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE The Home Depot Foundation