Portland HBA Guides First-of-its-Kind Workforce Program in Oregon

HBA: Home Building Association of Greater Portland

Category: Education

Location: Lake Oswego, Ore.

Size: 601+ members

Year: 2025

The Home Building Association of Greater Portland's innovative Building to Scale training program is an industry-led initiative with an emphasis on residential construction skill development. The goal is to address the region’s housing and construction labor shortages by guiding students through a 10-week program where they learn basic carpentry, safety and job readiness skills for successful employment. Trainees finish the program on an accelerated track to careers in the industry and with applicable skills that will prepare them to fulfill the residential construction industry’s demand for skilled labor. The program is the first of its kind in Oregon with additional instruction in modular construction and mass timber utilization.

Through a collaborative effort between the HBA, its 501(c)(3) nonprofit and members, the program was successful in advancing the first cohort of 12 students to graduation. Of the dozen participants, 10 went on to attend HBA job fairs and ultimately were employed. The remaining two participants finished their schooling in architecture and were hired to help design a modular home to be built by future Build to Scale students. This program has demonstrated the importance and payoff of taking an active and involved approach to addressing the industry’s labor shortage.