Nation's Building News Online

HBI a One-Stop Resource for Work Force Needs

No longer just an organization leading the way in craft training for residential construction, The Home Builders Institute (HBI), the work force development arm of NAHB, is becoming a one-stop resource for the growing work force development needs of the housing industry, says Thomas E. Mullen, chairman of the HBI Board of Trustees and president of Thomas E. Mullen & Associates in Indianapolis.

Branching out from its traditional role of providing the NAHB membership with qualified entry-level workers through training programs in Job Corps and its Craft Skills division, Mullen said that HBI has several initiatives underway to help meet the labor needs of the industry:

• Working with NAHB members and educational publisher Thomson/Delmar Learning, the Residential Construction Academy has developed training standards that provide the basis for textbooks and multimedia instructional materials in carpentry, electrical wiring, plumbing and HVAC. The academy’s credentialing program links high schools and post-secondary institutions with HBAs and a national registry.

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• Originally focused on the NAHB Student Chapters, the Building Careers Job Bank has grown into a source of craft, technical and professional workers for housing industry employers.
• Build a Home, Build a Career provides a model work force development program for home builders associations seeking to establish partnerships with their local high schools.
• HBI’s Field Superintendent Designation course offerings, which are being rolled out this year, provide joint venturing opportunities for HBAs interested in training in this area for association members and their employees.

NAHB First Vice President Bobby Rayburn, who is working with HBI for his fourth year as a trustee and oversight officer, noted that the institute has aggressively expanded its products and services to NAHB members, who face significant challenges in finding qualified workers in a changing marketplace. He said that the institute has grown rapidly to become the one resource that can answer members’ various needs related to craft education and training programs in residential construction.

 Find more information, go to the HBI Web site.
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