NATIONWIDE – BuildStrong Academy (BSA), a workforce development nonprofit, is looking to provide free training to 1 million new trade workers over the next 15 years. The Denver-based organization is offering franchise opportunities to expand the program to 20 cities and help alleviate the 2.2 million construction worker labor shortage.
“The worker shortage stands to have a serious impact on the ability to build more affordable housing,” said BuildStrong Academy Founder Pat Hamill. “We need to build millions of new homes, and we simply don’t have the workers to do it.”
The organization opened a training facility in Orlando, Florida, in September and plans to open another one in New Orleans in April. In 2024, it expects to open new chapters in Charlotte, North Carolina, Phoenix and Houston.
Through corporate and philanthropic funding, BuildStrong Academy classes are free to students pursuing a career in the construction and homebuilding industry. Through six weeks of basic training, followed by 12-weeks of skilled trade instruction, BSA students graduate with a foundation in construction skills, exposure to different forms of trade work and industry-recognized credentials, including an OSHA-10 certification.
BuildStrong Academy courses use the Home Builders Institute’s (HBI) training curriculum, developed in partnership with the National Association of Homebuilders and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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BSA’s training-to-placement model ensures all students receive on-site career counseling services, job-placement support and networking opportunities with top industry employers.
According to the nonprofit, BuildStrong’s flagship chapter, the Colorado Homebuilding Academy, has graduated more than 1,200 students since opening in 2017.
“To stay competitive, homebuilders today are paying greater wages, offering stronger benefits and putting workers first when managing their businesses,” HBI CEO Ed Brady said. “Construction work is not for everybody, but for those who are willing, the opportunities for well-paid jobs and promising careers are limitless.”
To learn more about BuildStrong Academy or how to start an academy chapter in a new market, visit buildstrongacademy.org.
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