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
Sep 12, 2025
Builders’ Guide to Keeping Job Sites and Communities PreparedSeptember is National Preparedness Month, an annual federal initiative to raise awareness and equip individuals, businesses and communities with the tools they need to prepare for disasters.
Sep 11, 2025
2026 Best of IBS Awards OpenThe NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) recognizes the outstanding building products and services with the Best of IBS Awards. Apply by Nov. 21, 2025, to showcase your products.
Latest Economic News
Sep 12, 2025
Household Real Estate Asset Values Reach New HighThe market value of household real estate assets rose to $49.3 trillion in the second quarter of 2025, according to the most recent release of U.S. Federal Reserve Z.1 Financial Accounts. The value rose by 2.7% from the first quarter and is 1.1% higher than a year ago. This measure of market value estimates the value of all owner-occupied real estate nationwide.
Sep 11, 2025
Parking Trends in Newly Completed Single-Family Homes, 2024In 2024, 65% of newly completed single-family homes featured two-car garages, according to NAHB’s analysis of the Census’s Survey of Construction data. The share of new homes with three or more car garages stood at 15%, continuing a downward trend from its peak of 24% in 2015 and decreasing 2 percentage points from 2023.
Sep 10, 2025
Year-over-Year Building Material Price Growth AdvancesPrice growth for residential building materials rose for the fourth straight month in August, reaching its highest level since January 2023. Across domestic inputs goods and services into residential construction, service prices decreased in August while goods prices slightly advanced.