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.
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SOURCE Home Builders Institute (HBI)