The Home Depot Foundation announced that it was making a commitment of $50 million to the expansion of its training programs and to training 20,000 skilled craft workers over the next 10 years.
This new commitment comes on the heels of their “pilot trades training program” for separating military members in a partnership with the non-profit National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Home Builders Institute on Ft. Stewart and Ft. Bragg. The first students will graduate from this 12-week pre-apprentice program this Spring.
According to BuilderOnline, the program has “a placement rate of over 90%.” “Home Depot will expand those programs to additional bases across the US.”
According to Shannon Gerber, the executive director of the Foundation, "We want to bring shop class back, from coast-to-coast. We're thrilled to train 20,000 next-generation plumbers, electricians, carpenters and beyond. It's a true honor to welcome our first classes of separating soldiers as they transition to civilian life and into successful careers in the trades."
In addition to serving separating military members, The Home Depot Foundation is establishing an advanced level trades training program in partnership with the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA) for residents of Atlanta's Westside community. Over the next 10 years, the Foundation will expand training support to include the broader veteran community as well as under-served high schools across the United States.
Local Home Depot locations already sponsor classes for students to learn how to use equipment as a way to trigger the desire for a percentage of those students to move forward into the building trades.
