Iowa HBA Showcases Student-Built Projects to Support Trades Education

For three years, the Quad Cities Builders & Remodelers Association's (QCBRA) Trades for Tomorrow initiative has supported student-built projects to raise awareness of the importance of trades education. The annual initiative helps local high school trades programs to build projects that are later displayed and auctioned at QCBRA’s spring Home Show.

The program began in 2023 with about 10 total items before reaching 65 in 2024 and even more this year. The project’s second year raised $17,250, with 13 schools participating, and was recognized by NAHB with a 2024 Association Excellence Award. Half of the proceeds supported QCBRA initiatives, including student scholarships and its Build My Future event, while the other half went back to the schools’ trades programs.

“We need the younger workforce here,” said Mona Peiffer, executive officer of QCBRA. “It's really important to our board members and staff to get these kids involved.”

Peiffer said they called all the local Iowa and Illinois high schools in 2023 to get in touch with the career and technical education teachers (CTE). From there, the interested schools decided what they wanted students to build — picnic tables, chairs, doghouses and more — and a local company donated the necessary lumber.

Each year, students complete the projects during school with guidance from their CTE teachers to gain hands-on experience with tools. Some projects are completed quickly, while others are built gradually over several months.

The schools normally begin construction in October before the following spring’s Home Show, where they’re housed in a large room for the three-day event. Peiffer said the Home Show draws about 3,000-5,000 attendees annually over the course of the event, and many people attend just to see the students’ items.

The Home Show normally has 230 booths with about 120 vendors, and the local students work the Trades for Tomorrow room as the community takes in their work. Peiffer said it’s a large community event: Two radio stations host shows on site, and relatives often compete for the highest bid to take home their student’s work.

QCBRA’s overall goal is to expose local students to the construction industry and potential career paths. Peiffer said the initiative also helps open conversations with parents about career opportunities in the trades.

“I think so many kids end up with college debt and a career with nothing related to it,” she said. “We have to open up the conversation. They’re our future. We need them.”

QCBRA plans to continue Trades for Tomorrow in 2026, with additional awards to recognize the schools that participate.