Lowe’s Foundation Launches Skilled Trades Coalition
The Lowe’s Foundation on Sept. 1 launched the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition to train one million people for skilled trades careers by 2035. This national alliance is backed by businesses, workforce organizations, industry vendors, and stakeholders, including NVIDIA, AT&T, Bank of America, Carrier, General Motors, DEWALT and Duke Energy.
In addition to the seven corporate leaders, a group of educators and industry organizations and associations have joined the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition, including the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), and SkillsUSA.
“NAHB is proud to be a founding member of the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition,” said Jim Tobin, president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders. “A skilled, capable workforce is critical to meeting our nation's housing needs. Our collective commitment to invest in the next generation of skilled trade professionals will help strengthen the workforce pipeline, transform lives and build communities.”
According to the Department of Education, the U.S. is facing a shortage of skilled labor in the building trades, with an estimated 2.1 million skilled trades jobs possibly going unfilled by 2030. That’s a potential economic loss of around $1 trillion annually.
“For nearly four years, our foundation’s sole focus has been helping thousands of people enter the skilled trades by investing in America’s most innovative workforce training programs,” said Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s chairman and CEO.
Coalition members will focus on three primary objectives:
- Change the perception of careers in the skilled trades and reinforce that the profession is respected, purpose-driven, and rewarding.
- Invest, connect, and scale proven training and credentialing processes to address shared workforce challenges and expand on what works, allowing organizations to prepare skilled trades talent without starting from scratch.
- Track what’s working and what’s not to identify opportunities and weaknesses. The insights will be used to strengthen connections between training providers and employers, improve pathways to employment, and help more people establish meaningful, long-term careers.
The Lowe’s Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) organization founded by Lowe’s to help address the critical skilled trades labor shortage.