How to Start Planning for a Summer Intern
Schools will be out for the summer soon, which means now is the perfect time to start laying the groundwork for an internship program. Working with interns helps companies meet their own workforce needs and helps the industry build the pipeline of new workers needed to meet the demand for new housing.
There are many considerations when planning for a trainee on your jobsite. To help you establish a program, NAHB has a step-by-step guide to setting up an internship program.
The Student Internship Resources for NAHB Members guide focuses on how builders can engage with three different talent resources: secondary (high school) students in career and technical (CTE) education programs, community college students, and university students.
The comprehensive guide covers topics such as:
- How to evaluate your workplace needs
- How to research the legalities
- Tips for developing a training plan
- How to find, hire and manage interns
- How to retain good prospects as employees
In addition, to help students and young professionals develop their careers in the trades, NAHB has a robust collection of one page “how-to” guides, such as interviewing and building a network available for download and print.
NAHB invites all members to share their workforce development opportunities and challenges during the next in-person Workforce Development Champions Forum on Friday, June 9, at 10:30 a.m. ET, during the Spring Leadership Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Latest from NAHBNow
Economics
Nov 09, 2026
Remodeling Activity Holds Flat in Second Quarter Amid Housing Slowdown
Remodeling activity was flat in the second quarter amid a broader nationwide housing slowdown, according to NAHB's State Projections of Remodeling (SPR). The SPR provides a quarterly, state-by-state analysis of remodeling spending, market share and changes in spending.
Advocacy
Nov 06, 2026
NAHB Monthly Update: What the Midterms Mean for Housing
NAHB’s Monthly Update equips members and HBA staff with timely talking points on the Federation’s top housing priorities. This month’s update covers the post-election outlook for housing, progress on permitting reform and NAHB’s response to the latest WOTUS proposal.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Nov 09, 2026
Residential Building Worker Wage Growth Rebounds, but Real Wages Continue to Decline
Wage growth for residential building workers showed signs of a modest rebound in September 2026 following a sharp slowdown earlier in the year. According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nominal wage growth picked up from its June pace, although it remained relatively modest.
Economics
Nov 09, 2026
Remodeling Activity Holds Flat in Second Quarter Amid Housing Slowdown
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has released its State Projections of Remodeling (SPR) for the second quarter of 2026. As a reminder, the SPR provides on a quarterly basis a state-level estimation of the market share and total dollar value of remodeling spending.
Economics
Nov 06, 2026
Hiring Rebounds in October, but Residential Construction Employment Declines
The U.S. labor market rebounded in October, with nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 165,000 jobs and the unemployment rate declining to 4.1%. However, the improvement in overall employment contrasts with continued weakness in residential construction, where employment fell by 16,400 jobs, the largest monthly decline since March 2021.