Student Chapter Partnership Leads to New Hires in the Trades
NAHB is spotlighting career and technical education-related stories throughout CTE Month® in February.
The Eastern Idaho Home Builders Association members are passionate about attracting the next generation of residential construction industry professionals. Throughout the year, the HBA members generously donate their time to train, inspire and mentor students enrolled in Technical Careers High School (TCHS), an NAHB Student Chapter in Idaho Falls.
Kyle Wright, TCHS residential construction teacher, says association members go above and beyond to support the school’s construction program. Guest speakers share their experiences working in the industry and often recruit graduates. In addition, HBA members help run the annual spring Construction Combine, a two-day skills training event that builds sheds for disabled veterans and connects students with builders for summer jobs.
HBA members also provide substantial financial support for students to attend the Secondary Schools Construction Management Student Competition at the International Builders’ Show (IBS). Additional funding for the IBS trip comes from selling sheds that the students construct during the year as part of their carpentry training, a travel scholarship from the National Housing Endowment and financial support from the school.
The NAHB Student Competition is a large part of the learning experience for juniors and seniors enrolled in the TCHS residential construction program. Estimating — a topic generally introduced later in senior year — is now spread across the curriculum to bolster the team’s skills.
“Attending the International Builders’ Show opens up the whole world to students and gives them a better idea of all that is available in residential construction,” says Wright.
To learn more about starting a student chapter in your community, visit the Student Chapters page on nahb.org or contact Sarah Weber.
Latest from NAHBNow
Apr 17, 2025
Housing Starts Decline Amid Economic UncertaintyOverall housing starts decreased 11.4% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.32 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Apr 16, 2025
Unlock Exclusive Savings on Intuit QuickBooks and Enterprise SuiteNAHB has officially launched a new Member Savings program with Baytek, a premier Intuit QuickBooks and Intuit Enterprise Suite (IES) provider, giving members access to unadvertised savings, exclusive rebates, and powerful business solutions.
Latest Economic News
Apr 17, 2025
Housing Starts Decline Amid Economic UncertaintyConstrained housing affordability conditions due to elevated interest rates, rising construction costs and labor shortages led to a reduction in housing production in March.
Apr 16, 2025
Builder Confidence Levels Indicate Slow Start for Spring Housing SeasonGrowing economic uncertainty stemming from tariff concerns and elevated building material costs kept builder sentiment in negative territory in April, despite a modest bump in confidence likely due to a slight retreat in mortgage interest rates in recent weeks.
Apr 14, 2025
Where Do Builders and Remodelers Buy Building Products?The most common sources for products used in home building and remodeling are specialty retailers, lumber yards, and wholesale distributors, according to two recent NAHB surveys. The surveys include one of single-family homebuilders in the October 2024 NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) and one of remodelers in the Q3 2024 NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI). Both surveys asked respondents where they purchase building products, regardless of who ultimately purchases them (themselves or subcontractors).