HBAs Step Up Summer Career Exploration Programs
This post has been updated.
This year, NAHB’s Boys & Girls Club partnership has helped match local clubs and home builder associations to promote residential construction career pathways and connect young people to the industry. HBA and member leaders are taking advantage of the summer months to lead entertaining and educational workforce development programs for students.
Fun-Filled Activities in North Dakota
The Home Builders Care of Fargo-Moorhead Foundation, the charitable arm of the BIA of the Red River Valley (Fargo, N.D.), developed an enriching lineup of activities for their local Boys & Girls Club this summer. The BIA hosted a Bird Feeder Construction Day on July 11 for 3rd to 5th graders. Lowes provided materials for the project and more than 50 BIA volunteers participated in the event. The Foundation has a new home construction tour scheduled for middle and high school students in August.
Construction Introduction Projects in Iowa
The Ames (Iowa) Home Builders Association led a wood vase construction activity on June 17 at the local Boys & Girls Club. Members generously donated materials and their time, which resulted in a successful career exploration day. More than a dozen 3rd to 8th grade students participated. The association plans to host education sessions in the fall the students to introduce them to construction.
Meeting Industry Professionals in New Jersey
To kick off the summer, members of the Shore Builders Association of Central New Jersey (Lakewood, N.J.) invited a group of students from their local Boys & Girls Club to the Ocean County Construction Trades Career Expo held at a local vocational school on May 15. The students met with residential construction industry employers, including several of the association’s member companies, to learn about the trades and job opportunities. View photos of the event.
To learn more about how to get connected to your local club and kick start workforce development activities in your community, contact Greg Zick.
Members from the Ames (Iowa) HBA led a wood vase construction activity for the local Boys & Girls Club.
Latest from NAHBNow
Aug 04, 2026
How AI Is Changing the Way Builders Source and Validate LandAI can strengthen site selection in two key ways: surfacing parcels competitors would otherwise never see, and validating them fast enough to act.
Aug 03, 2026
Strengthen Your Safety Plan During OSHA's Safe + Sound WeekJoin NAHB and OSHA in celebrating this year’s Safe + Sound Week, Aug. 10-16, to recognize the successes of workplace health and safety programs and share information and ideas on how to keep workers safe.
Latest Economic News
Aug 04, 2026
Construction Job Openings RisingThe number of open positions in the construction sector increased in June, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The current level of open jobs is down measurably from three years ago due to declines in construction activity, particularly in housing.
Aug 03, 2026
Residential Construction Spending Slips as Remodeling Activity WeakensPrivate residential construction spending declined 0.3% in June, while substantial downward revisions to improvement (remodeling) spending significantly altered the sector’s recent trajectory.
Jul 31, 2026
Housing’s Share of GDP Moves Lower in the Second QuarterHousing’s share of the economy was 15.8% in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest estimates of GDP produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This share is down from 15.9% in the first quarter and is at the lowest level since 2019.