Closing the
Skilled Labor Gap
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the
National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) are dedicated
to closing the skilled labor gap, by partnering This Old
House Generation Next and SGC Horizon’s Skilled Labor
campaign to encourage and empower young people to join
the skilled trades. Design & Construction Week® (DCW), the
co-location of NAHB’s International Builders’ Show® (IBS) and
NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) hosted several
events supporting the initiative during its run in Orlando.
NAHB co-hosted an event with This Old House and SGC
Horizon in the Professional Builder Show Village located in the
IBS Outdoor Exhibits entitled “In The Backyard.”
All dollars raised through the Generation Next and SGC
Horizon’s Skilled Labor campaign during Design & Construction
Week went to the Skilled Labor Fund, an industry-wide effort to
raise funds to address the shortage of skilled labor entering the
residential construction market.
The crew from This Old House was in attendance during Design
& Construction Week to support and raise awareness for the
Generation Next campaign. During the Design & Construction
20 MANATEE-SARASOTA BIA Contractors’ Guide
Week opening ceremonies, Norm Abram, This Old House
master carpenter, spoke to residential builders, designers,
contractors, architects and manufacturers as to why the skilled
labor gap is now at crisis level, and how everyone can take action
to better ensure the future of the building trades.
“Raising awareness of the building trades as a rewarding career
path and mentoring a new generation of tradespeople has been an
extremely gratifying experience this year,” said Abram. “I’m looking
forward to continuing our effort to reinvigorate interest in our
industry among young people and closing the skilled jobs gap.”
“Addressing our industry’s labor shortages is the number one
issue for NAHB members,” said NAHB CEO Jerry Howard.
“Joining forces with our trade partner organizations on this
shared initiative allows us to direct even more focus on reaching
all sectors of the industry and work together to build the future
workforce of the residential construction industry.”
For more information, visit www.SkilledLaborFund.org.
/www.SkilledLaborFund.org