NAHB Provides 50K for HBAs Workforce Development Programs
This post has been updated.
NAHB will provide $2,400 to 22 HBAs to state and local home builders’ associations (HBAs) for workforce development programs this year. The infusion of support from NAHB to HBAs is part of a larger national strategy to engage Boys & Girls Clubs leadership across the country and provide careers in construction programming for students.
“Workforce development is a top priority for NAHB,” said NAHB CEO Jim Tobin. “The HBAs connecting with their local Boys & Girls Club this year are poised to make a difference, and we are committed to supporting their efforts.”
HBAs funded this year signed a pledge to connect with their local Boys & Girls Clubs chapter and provide career exploration activities each quarter. For HBAs reaching out to a local club for the first time, NAHB has a robust toolkit for outreach and engagement, from initial template letters to program development and event ideas.
In addition, participating HBAs will meet regularly with experts from Ford Next Generation Learning (Ford NGL), who will provide best practices for engaging club leadership and students. Ford NGL delivers a framework for programs such as the Boys & Girls Club partnership to help mobilize educators, employers and community leaders to prepare a new generation of young people for college, careers and life.
Since the partnership’s inception in 2022, hundreds of Boys & Girls Club students across the country have become familiar with the skilled trades and the residential construction industry. From the Bay Area of California to central Connecticut, local councils, members and HBA leadership have produced high-quality and dynamic careers in construction programming.
To view the complete list of participating HBAs this year, visit the Boys & Girls Club of America page on nahb.org.
Latest from NAHBNow
2026 NAHB Chairman Bill Owens provides updates on key events for the residential construction industry, including why members should get out to vote this November and why now is a great time to register for the International Builders' Show.
The legal doctrine of "associational standing" continues to face scrutiny across the country, and the latest challenge is now before the Indiana Supreme Court.
Latest Economic News
Wood framing continues to dominate the U.S. single-family home construction market, according to NAHB analysis of 2025 Census Bureau data. In 2025, wood framing accounted for 94% of all completed single-family homes, maintaining its position as the leading construction method.
State labor markets showed mixed results in August, with nonfarm payroll employment increasing in a majority of states. At the same time, construction employment posted a net gain nationally, although employment trends varied across states. The unemployment rate also remained relatively low in several states, while D.C. continued to record the nation’s highest rate.
Single-family housing starts rebounded in August, but production remains down 4.7% year to date as builders contend with rising construction costs, lot and labor shortages, and economic uncertainty.