Home Builders Institute Opens Training Academy in NC

The new BuildStrong Academy created to address labor shortages in the construction sector has opened in Charlotte.

The new training center offers carpentry and electrical training in an effort to create skilled construction field workers to address what the HBI calls a “critical” shortage that has caused delays, increased costs and stifled growth in the Charlotte region.

“Older workers are retiring and not being replaced because the U.S. has not produced an adequate supply of construction labor for several generations,” Ed Brady, HBI president and CEO, said. “HBI is committed to training the next generation of skilled workers and ensuring the supply of construction labor.”

A recent report from the Institute on the construction labor market indicates the industry needs almost a quarter million workers a year representing a net increase of nearly 2.2 million hires between now and 2026. It says shortages are most critical in the finished and rough carpentry areas.

The new Charlotte facility represents the sixth such BuildStrong Academy the HBI has set up. Others are in Orlando, New Orleans, Houston, Denver, Phoenix and Sacramento, CA. This new facility was created with support from the Fioretti Family Charitable Fund, The Home Depot Foundation, DeWalt and the Truist Foundation.

Home Depot Foundation executive director Erin Izen, in commenting on the new training center, said “The Home Depot Foundation has been proud to partner with HBI to make trades training and pathways to lucrative careers in the trades a reality for more people. With more than 400,000 construction jobs open—and growing—the new Academy in Charlotte will further our joint mission to shrink the skilled labor gap and ensure a strong pipeline of qualified construction professionals for years to come.”

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