Aspiring Home Building Professionals Compete in SkillsUSA Competition
The talents of a diverse group of aspiring home building professionals were on display last month as thousands of students from Washington state put their skills to the test in the statewide SkillsUSA competition.
The event, which boasted more than 90 different competitions ranging from industrial motor control to plumbing, showcased the students’ real-world skills in front of industry professional judges.
“It was a very successful event,” said Al Audette, education and workforce development director for the Building Industry Association of Washington. “Our members had a great time seeing what students are doing in shop classes around the state.”
NAHB’s strong partnership with SkillsUSA, the national education nonprofit, continues to drive a targeted effort on enhancing workforce development and addressing the nation’s skilled labor shortage.
“The students not only had exposure to what other schools around the state are doing,” said Audette, “they were also able to learn from our members who served as mentors.”
SkillsUSA will host 53 key state-level competitions — including events in Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands — throughout the spring.
Winners from around the nation will ultimately compete during the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta June 24-28.
NAHB encourages its members to get involved and help attract budding talent in residential construction to take part in SkillsUSA activities. Learn more about NAHB’s partnership with SkillsUSA at nahb.org.
Latest from NAHBNow
Labor | Advocacy
Apr 24, 2026
Labor Department Proposes New Joint Employer Rule for Wage and Hour EnforcementThe Department of Labor (DOL) released the text of a proposed rule that would establish a nationwide standard for determining joint liability for under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act.
Advocacy
Apr 23, 2026
NAHB Applauds Lawmakers’ Push to Remove Harmful Mandate from Major Housing PackageIn a letter signed by 76 representatives, the Real Estate Caucus and the Build America Caucus called on House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to remove harmful provisions in the Senate-passed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act that mandate the forced sale of single-family build-to-rent (BTR) housing.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Apr 22, 2026
State-Level Employment Situation: February 2026February’s labor market data point to a notable pullback in employment, with job losses concentrated across a majority of states and only modest gains elsewhere. While January showed solid momentum, February’s decline reflects emerging softness in hiring conditions, alongside uneven performance across the country.
Economics
Apr 21, 2026
Population Growth and Housing Supply Dynamics at the County Level in 2025U.S. population growth slowed notably in the latest Vintage 2025 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, with the nation expanding by just 0.5% in 2025, roughly half the pace of the prior year. The deceleration was primarily driven by a sharp decline in net international migration (NIM), which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million, while natural change remained relatively stable.
Economics
Apr 20, 2026
Construction Workforce Shifts: Fewer Tradesmen, More White-Collar JobsThe long-running shift in the construction labor force away from construction trades and toward management, business, and technical roles is ongoing and gaining momentum, according to NAHB’s analysis of the latest 2024 data from the American Community Survey (ACS).