The Home Depot is expanding The Home Depot Foundation’s $50 million trades training commitment announced in 2018 with Path to Pro, a new education and job placement program. Path to Pro aims to address the skilled labor gap by educating more people in the skilled trades, connecting skilled tradespeople with jobs and careers, and generating interest in trade professions through educational campaigns.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Construction Index, 83% of contractors still have trouble finding skilled workers. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that, at any given time, there are about 300,000 skilled labor openings.
To combat the labor shortage, home-improvement retailer Home Depot is training from entry-level to advanced certifications and the company recently sponsored its first weeklong boot camp to teach essential industry skills like job site safety, tool usage, material handling, and communication and professional skills. Home Depot’s boot camp is piloting in the Atlanta area and is planned to expand to additional markets in 2021.
Home Depot also is planning to launch a first-of-its-kind website in 2021 to allow people to search local training programs, licensing requirements, and open jobs in the trades. The website will feature videos and stories for each trade, projected industry growth, and salary information for industry segments. The company will also introduce a new online platform to increase access to networking between skilled tradespeople and the company’s pro customers, according to a news release. Training program graduates can showcase their work portfolio, experience and additional qualifications, and be contacted by pros in their area looking to hire skilled laborers.
The Home Depot Foundation launched its trades training mission in 2018 to help fill the skilled labor gap through programs in high schools, career academies, and military bases nationwide. According to Home Depot, the Foundation’s trades-focused partnerships have exposed more than 15,000 people to the skilled trades and have certified 3,600 participants in its first two years.
