 Looking Back and Moving Ahead
 | | John Courson, HBI President and CEO |
By John Courson HBI focused on expanding its construction skills training programs in 2012. As a result, we were able to reach more youth, adults, veterans and displaced workers with new opportunities to join, or in some cases rejoin, the resurging residential building sector. HBI now offers educational programs in 44 states and the District of Columbia, reaching more than 13,000 students. This number includes more than 9,000 students in our 202 pre-apprenticeship and mentoring programs and 4,000 students in 150 NAHB Student Chapters. Thankfully, we have seen the housing sector--one of the key drivers of the U.S. economy--move ahead with new construction and remodeling activities and home sales increasing. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate has slowly improved and other aspects of the economy show signs of growth. As we looked ahead at 2013, one area we have identified as needing attention is the threat of a skilled worker shortage. With building activity increasing quickly, builders from various regions of the U.S. continue to report difficulty finding trained and skilled workers ready to meet the growing demand for housing. This need for skilled workers is where the programs and expertise of HBI come into play. Fortunately, we have many programs to address this skilled worker need, including the HBI Job Corps and PACT (Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training) programs that prepare students for skilled building careers and place 80 percent of graduates in jobs. The building industry's pipeline of potential workers also is enhanced thanks to NAHB Student Chapters across the nation that help guide high school, technical college and university students toward jobs as architects, designers, construction managers and more. HBI's Residential Construction Academy Series is being adopted by career technical education programs nationally to teach a new generation choosing to pursue the building sector to chart their careers. Importantly, HBI's new PACT for Veterans initiative trains and places our valued military veterans in construction jobs so that they can transition into the private sector jobs and continue to contribute to the growth and health of the economy. I offer my best wishes to you and your families for a happy 2013 and look forward to continuing our work to help people across the country build careers in construction. Back to top |
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HBI Bets on Vegas for Builders' Show
 HBI is gearing up for another year of industry events and meetings at the 2013 NAHB International Builders' Show (IBS) from Jan. 22-24 in Las Vegas.
IBS attendees will be able to visit the HBI Skills Exhibit and Employment Booth C-7807 at the Las Vegas Convention Center to observe HBI pre-apprenticeship students as they demonstrate their building trades skills, learn about HBI's programs and discuss hiring opportunities. Visitors to the HBI booth also can enter a drawing for a professional tool set and compete against an apprentice in the annual nail driving contest.
NAHB Student Chapter representatives will be available to speak with students and faculty about the benefits of Student Chapters membership and getting involved in local communities at the NAHB Student Chapters Networking Booth, N-21 in the North Concourse of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Highlights of other HBI activities at the show include:
Residential Construction Management Competition
Jan. 21, 9:00 am - 4 pm
Jan. 22, 8:00 am - 5:30 pm (Four-Year)
9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Two-Year)
Jan. 23, 9:00 am - 12:00 pmLas Vegas Hotel, Ballrooms C and E, Floor 1
More than 50 teams from NAHB Student Chapters at residential construction management programs in secondary and post-secondary schools across the U.S. present proposals for a specific construction project before a panel of building executive judges and a live audience. Savvy Superintendents:
The Qualities Necessary to Excel at Jobsite Management
Jan. 22, 8:30 am-10:00 am
Las Vegas Convention Center, North 264, Level 2 Ben Bigelow, a faculty member for the Department of Construction Science at Texas A&M University, will lead this overview of what it takes for a superintendent to excel in this position. This session is based on HBI's Residential Construction Superintendent Designation courses. Session attendees must have a full registration or an education registration for the day of the event to attend. HBI Job Corps Awards Presentation at the NAHB Joint Executive & Resolutions Committee Meeting
Jan. 22, 2:00 pm
Las Vegas Convention Center, North 245-247, Level 2
Two outstanding HBI Job Corps graduates are recognized annually at the NAHB International Builders' Show for their exemplary achievements in the building industry. The Shirley McVay Wiseman Award for Exceptional Promise is presented to an outstanding female graduate. The NAHB Chairman's Award is presented to an exceptional HBI Job Corps graduate who has overcome adversity.
HBI/Lowe's Scholarship Fund Presentation
at the Lowe's Booth
Jan. 23, 12:00 pm
Las Vegas Convention Center, C-4519
The HBI/Lowe's Building Careers Scholarship Fund provides financial help to qualified HBI graduates seeking careers in the building industry. Lowe's has donated $50,000 annually since the scholarship's inception, helping more than 40 graduates each year. NAHB Student Chapters Awards Ceremony Jan. 23, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 3, Level 2
Join HBI for a celebration of NAHB Student Chapters during the annual awards ceremony. Award winners for Outstanding Student Chapter, Outstanding Education, Outstanding Junior Faculty, Outstanding Students and the Residential Construction Management Competition will be announced. Superintendents Can Make or Break the Bank: Tools & Techniques to Drive Efficiencies January 24, 8:30 am-10:00 am
Las Vegas Convention Center, North 264, Level 2 Ben Bigelow again will lead this session based on HBI's Residential Construction Superintendent Designation courses about how to avoid common budgeting mistakes made on the jobsite; drive efficiency through accurate, reliable estimates; and stay on budget throughout the construction process. Session attendees must have a full registration or an education registration for the day of the event.
You Be the Judge! January 24, 10:00 am-10:45 am
Las Vegas Convention Center, N-1339
Come see NAHB Student Chapter members present their winning Residential Construction Management Competition (RCMC) projects on stage at IBS Live! We hope to see you in Vegas! For more information about HBI activities at IBS, please contact Laura Garner at 800-795-7955 x8936. Back to top
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HBI Grads Succeed With Next Step
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Amber Damiano, an HBI facilities maintenance program graduate, poses with her Next Step Living truck.
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Twenty-three HBI Job Corps graduates in Massachusetts are proud employees of Boston-area's Next Step Living thanks to a partnership between HBI and the residential energy efficiency and renewables company.
The newly-employed HBI graduates conduct weatherization upgrades, which are in high demand due to the older housing stock in the area.
These new hires started their jobs at an average rate of $12 per hour but can earn more by performing well and completing projects early. Next Step Living workers tend to stay with their jobs because they quickly can earn $15
to $27 per hour.
HBI Job Corps Regional Placement Coordinator Gretchen Cantali said workers for Next Step Living "must be motivated and eager," but the skills they gain in HBI Job Corps training prepare them for successful employment with the company because of the HBI Residential Construction Academy Series green building curriculum focus.
Amber Damiano was not sure what to expect when she
started her facilities maintenance classes with HBI Job Corps at the Westover Job Corps Center a couple years ago. She has been on a Next Step Living truck since the summer, installing insulation in attics, walls and basements. Damiano hopes to eventually get her business license and start her own construction company.
"I have a whole new life now," Damiano said. "If you want it, and you work hard, people at HBI Job Corps will give you the tools to get where you need to go, and you'll walk out with something to show for it."
According to Adam Orszulak of Next Step Living, HBI graduates have two common qualities: Willingness to learn and a great work ethic.
"Many [HBI graduates] want to work their way up to running a truck, so they aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, even when they have to deal with difficult working environments like hot attics in the summer or cold basements in the winter," Orszulak explained.
For more information about HBI Job Corps, visit www.hbi.org or contact Keith Albright at 800-795-7955 x8911.
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HBI Students Making a Difference
HBI students--in addition to their classroom
 | | Leon Augustine, HBI Job Corps electrical student from the New Orleans Job Corps Center, prepares siding for a home during a Make A Difference Day project. |
learning--practice their new skills by working on service projects in their local communities. These opportunities allow them to work alongside contractors at actual job sites and make contributions to worthy construction projects.
So, it is natural that HBI programs and students across the U.S. made a point to participate in Make A Difference Day (MADD), billed as America's largest day of service, on October 27.
In New Orleans, five HBI Job Corps electrical students from the New Orleans Job Corps Center teamed up with AmeriCorps volunteers to help build a Habitat for Humanity home in the Carrollton section of the city.
"Everything I've learned through HBI and Job Corps helped me in building a house. I worked well with everyone and made some new friends," said HBI student Leon Augustine. "It made me feel good to help build a home for someone less fortunate than me. Every time I drive by this house now, I will smile and feel proud that I was part of making a difference for this family."
In Avon Park, Fla., HBI PACT for Youth carpentry and facilities maintenance students built two picnic tables and bird houses that were donated to convalescent homes in Highlands County. Other HBI PACT facilities maintenance students made model cars to be donated to the Children's Advocacy Center of Highlands County, while electrical students built a portable workbench and shelving for use by the maintenance staff at a women's shelter in Sebring, Fla.
HBI PACT for Youth students in Tappahannock, Va., welcomed a new owner to a house that a former HBI PACT class had helped build. Students hauled away construction debris, washed windows and cleaned floors and helped move furniture into place.
And finally, farther north, HBI PACT for Adults students from Harrisburg, Pa., picked up trash and debris along the Harrisburg riverfront bordering the Susquehanna River.
For more information about HBI training programs, visit www.hbi.org.
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January Is Mentoring Month!
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Baldy View Board of Directors member and HBI mentor Dr. Imran Farooq of The Omnius Group, at right, and HBI mentee David Smart helped improve the lives of transitionally homeless neighbors.
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HBI Mentoring, a program that pairs youth with mentors to help guide them with their education and career goals, is celebrating National Mentoring Month in January by supporting the 2013 National Mentoring Summit
in Washington, D.C., January 24-25.
The "Inspiring and Achieving Career Path-An Innovative Youth Mentoring Program," panel discussion at the summit will feature HBI mentors and include a discussion on the HBI Mentoring program, best practices and case examples.
HBI Mentoring, currently located in 11 states, is funded by a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and aims to match several thousand youth ages 13-18 with more than 1,600 building industry mentors. These mentors are recruited from home builders associations, NAHB Student Chapters, other business organizations and local communities.
Mentors and youth participate in community volunteer projects, visit job sites or just share a meal. In fact, HBI Mentoring pairs across the nation participated in volunteer activities for Make a Difference Day in October.
As part of San Diego's Christmas in October program, HBI Mentoring participants helped make repairs to a house owned by a Korean War veteran. Together with local HBI Job Corps students, participants cleaned up the yard, washed interior walls, fixed closet doors and made new screens for the home's windows and doors.
HBI mentors from the Building Industry Association (BIA) Baldy View Chapter and mentees from the Inland Empire Job Corps participated in three different Make a Difference Day locations across San Bernardino, Calif. Activities included reading to children at local schools and making improvements at homeless centers.
In Tucson, Ariz., nearly a dozen students and mentors participated in a clean-up of Bonita Park, picking up trash and beautifying the park by planting trees and shrubs.
For more information about HBI Mentoring and to learn how to become a mentor, visit www.hbi.org or contact Tadar Muhammad at 863-557-5054.
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Military Vets Train for New Careers
 | | U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida speaks with HBI PACT for Veterans students Gary Laughton and William Sherman during a tour of Allied Veterans Center in Jacksonville. |
HBI recently launched HBI PACT for Veterans to offer free building skills training, pre-apprenticeship certification and job placement for U.S. military veterans.
The program started as a partnership with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, and is open to all veterans who are residents of Florida.
Veterans who participate in the HBI pre-apprenticeship program receive training in all facets of general construction and facilities maintenance including carpentry, electrical wiring, landscaping, masonry, painting, plumbing and weatherization. Participants also receive hand tools, personal protective equipment and job placement assistance on graduation.
HBI PACT for Veterans Program Manager Paul Johnson has witnessed first-hand the challenges that returning veterans experience finding jobs. As a retired Navy Seabee, Johnson himself transitioned into the industry after his military service.
"Transitioning to a new career is hard, especially during an economic recovery," said Johnson. "Construction training offers many transferable skills for soldiers, even soldiers who spent their time loading torpedoes."
Nearly three dozen students are currently in the program and several have graduated and secured construction jobs. James Philpot, Navy veteran and HBI student, completed the program in six weeks in Tampa, brushing up on his construction terminology, job application and employability skills. He has started work in property management at McKinley Inc.
Recent graduate Debbie Bowman spent three months learning facilities maintenance at the Jacksonville site. Bowman's ultimate goal is to be an electrician, and she awaits acceptance into an apprenticeship program with the Jacksonville Electric Authority.
HBI PACT for Veterans recently hosted a forum with U.S. Senator Bill Nelson at the Allied Veterans Center in Jacksonville. Sen. Nelson toured the facility and spoke with fellow veterans about ensuring benefits, employment opportunities and national defense issues.
Interested Florida veterans and construction industry employers can email Paul Johnson or call 727-460-7574 for information about how to participate.
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HBI (Home Builders Institute) is a national nonprofit that provides training, mentoring, curriculum development and job placement services in support of the housing industry. With an 80 percent job placement rate for graduates, HBI training programs are taught in local communities across the country to youth, veterans, ex-offenders and displaced workers. Visit www.hbi.org for more information. |
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