Overall employment

in the construction trades is expected to increase from just under 6 million

to more than 6.5 million from 1998 to 2008, according to a forecast from

the U.S. Department of Labor. For the home building industry, this means

that demand for workers is expected to exceed supply for some time to

come, and that could have an impact on the cost of building new homes.

The Home Builders

Institute, the education and training arm of the National Association

of Home Builders, is helping to attract and train new workers for the

construction industry. In an NAHB survey, most people entering the labor

market indicated that they were unaware that they can make good money

and pursue rewarding careers in the construction trades. This has impeded

the industry's ability to expand the labor pool by attracting young people.

NAHB calculates

that the construction industry will have to recruit 200,000 to 250,000

new craft workers each year to address attrition and meet future needs.

Attrition is part of the problem, with 65,000 to 85,000 skilled workers

leaving the trades annually because of inadequate training programs. In

addition, the number of construction training programs offered by high

schools, vocational schools and community colleges has declined dramatically

over the past 20 years.

That's where

the Home Builders Institute comes in. HBI is the nation's leading source

for education and training programs serving the home building industry.

For more than 25 years, HBI has trained skilled workers in residential

construction, enrolling more than 7,000 individuals nationwide in student

chapters; construction crafts training; and apprenticeship, instructional

design and job placement programs annually.

Through HBI's

Student Chapters Program, students are given firsthand exposure to the

"real world" of the home building industry. NAHB student membership

gives students an invaluable complement to their academic studies. Chapters

are located in high schools, vocational and technical schools, community

colleges (two-year programs) and universities (four-year programs) across

the country.

In addition,

HBI continues to expand its skills training offerings through its Craft

Skills and Job Corps programs, which train nearly 4,000 workers annually.

Job Corps, the only national residential job training and education program

for at-risk youth ages 16 to 24, is a top source of entry-level workers

for the home building industry. Job Corps offers young people industry-validated,

up-to-date skills training, as well as world-of-work and social skills

tips that teach young people how to act on the job site. Job Corps also

pre-screens and places young people in jobs at no cost to employers. Job

Corps is a public-private partnership that returns $1.46 for every federal

dollar invested. HBI manages programs offered at 65 of the 115 Job Corps

centers nationwide, training young people for careers in brick masonry,

building and apartment maintenance, carpentry, electrical wiring, landscaping,

painting, plumbing and solar heating.

In a new initiative,

HBI's "Building a House to Build Careers" is creating partnerships

between local home builders' associations and high schools to engage students

in a school-to-work program. "Building a House" introduces students

to home-building tools and techniques in the regular school curriculum

and allows students and builders to join forces and build a single-family

home later in the school term. Three pilot partnerships are underway.

HBI also helps the home-building industry attract workers from nontraditional

labor pools, from the homeless to the disabled.

Project Take

HEART-Homeless Employment and Related Training-is an innovative pre-apprenticeship

program begun in 1997 that helps homeless people become self-sufficient

through vocational training and life-skills counseling. The program offers

industry-validated training combined with support services, which is vital

for people making the transition from welfare to economic independence.

Take HEART trainees learn basic skills in carpentry, electrical work,

plumbing, painting and wallpapering. They are also instructed in proper

use of equipment and jobsite safety. These technical skills, learned through

traditional classroom instruction and intensive hands-on training under

an experienced instructor, qualify program graduates to take entry-level

jobs in the building trades or to enroll in apprenticeship programs to

increase their level of skill further. The program's strong employment-skills

training component covers employer-employee relations, job market conditions

and employability skills such as effective resume and application preparation

and interviewing techniques.

Through Project

HOPE-Homebuilding Opportunities for Positive Employment-HBI, the Home

Builders Association of Dayton and the Miami Valley and the Ohio Rehabilitation

Services Commission link disabled adults with employers in the residential

construction industry. All rehabilitation clients referred to the program

get full vocational skills and options assessments to gauge their interest

in the industry and to inventory relevant skills they may possess. Trainees

in Project HOPE also receive one-to-one coaching and support before, during

and after placement. But the Institute's training programs don't stop

at attracting new workers to the industry. HBI helps builders enhance

their professionalism through continuing education as well, including

the Certified Graduate Builder, Certified Graduate Remodelor, Certified

Graduate Associate and Graduate Master Builder certificate programs.

A career brochure

and new video, "Real Jobs, Great Trades," describe the benefits

of a career in the home-building industry. For more information on careers

in the home-building industry, visit hbi.org or call 202-371-0600.

John Hayes,

who is with Torrey Homes, is president of the Home Builders Association

of Midwest Georgia, which serves a membership of approximately 440 builders

and associate members in Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Heard and Meriwether

counties.