NAHB Members Host Exciting Career Fairs Nationwide

Throughout Careers in Construction Month in October, HBAs and members led high-impact events and dynamic discussions to highlight the value of the skilled trades.

National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) members are enthusiastic about the housing business and want to share their excitement with future construction industry professionals.

Boosting Shop Class Enrollment in Michigan

The HBA of Western Michigan (HBAWM) collaborated with MiCareerQuest Southwest, a regional interactive career exploration event for about 4,000 eighth students in the state.

For the event, the HBA supplies a small roofing structure for students to exercise their talents.

Christina Reed, HBAWM’s Director of Member Services, explains that for many students, this is their first time hammering a nail.

The HBA also supplied a picture booth for students to dress up in construction gear.

“The idea is to make students aware of the type of careers offered in our area, so we can help connect the dots by showing them a pathway to that career through the courses offered when they get to high school,” said Reed.

“Since the event, we’ve seen an uptake in trades students, including more females. Each class is capped with a waiting list.”

Creating Creative Career Discussions in Washington State

Elizabeth Gomez, a remodeler and member of the Clark County BIA (Washington), gave three seminars at a local high school for students interested in the trades and those enrolled in the construction program or woodshop class.

According to Gomez, teens enjoy talking about themselves, so she asked the pupils to complete a personality quiz.

The quiz let pupils choose which jobs would be best for them. She also developed “Payday,” a game that introduced students to various construction industry wages, with the victors receiving PAYDAY candy bars.

Gomez also conducted a broad conversation on construction-related themes such as sustainability, career paths, and the significance of safety and maintaining a clean job site.

“Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and the kids were really engaged and had fun…I absolutely love this part of my job,” said Gomez.

“It is so rewarding to give back and invest into our community and our future.”

Investing in Training Opportunities in Indiana

The Fort Wayne Community Schools Career Academy (Ind.) construction trades program staged a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October to commemorate the completion of a new 11,000 sq. ft. expansion to its current facilities.

Students in the program built the new sheet metal/HVAC area, which includes a classroom and hands-on lab where students will study sheet metal work, HVAC and furnace installation, air purification, ducting, fabrication, furnace troubleshooting, and other skills.

The project was planned and completed in 15 months with the help of local businesses and organizations that contributed $500,000 in cash and in-kind donations.

“We are so proud of not only the construction trades students and instructors for all their hard work, but also to the supporters – many of whom are HBA Fort Wayne members,” Rebecca Cameron, executive director of the HBA of Fort Wayne, agreed.

“To me, this is what being a ‘Workforce Champion’ is all about.”