Meritage Homes Corporation and BTF Extend Partnership to Advance the Diversity of Skilled Trades Talent in Residential Construction Industry
MERITAGE HOMES RENEWS COMMITMENT TO BUILDING TALENT FOUNDATION WITH A $125,000 DONATION
BTF announces a renewed partnership withMeritage Homes, the sixth-largest homebuilder in the U.S., to focus on the organizations’ shared goal of driving forward a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the residential construction industry.
As part of Meritage's DEI strategy, its charitable foundation, Meritage Cares, invested $125,000 to support BTF’s mission to advance the education, training, and career progression of young people and those from underrepresented demographics.
International Education Corporation and the Building Talent Foundation Partner to Strengthen Talent Pipeline Amid Severe Shortage of Skilled Trades Professionals
International Education Corporation (IEC) and BTF have partnered in a new effort aimed at helping students at IEC schools in Arizona, Florida, and Texas connect with future employers.
The partnership will provide a wide range of networking, employment, and continuing education support to students graduating from skilled trades programs in order to address the severe talent shortage affecting the residential construction trades – trades such as Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Electrical Technician.
Recent Research Underscores How Residential Construction Industry Leaders Can Reduce the Talent Shortage Through Gender Inclusivity
The residential construction industry is battling a severe talent shortage. To help the industry win this battle, BTF partnered with two Research Fellows to study the barriers women face when pursuing skilled trades careers.
Based on insights discovered through the study, BTF has released The Small Contractor Quick Start Guide to New Talent, a set of step-by-step guidelines to help construction employers create welcoming workplaces that are inclusive of women.
Thanks to the dedication and hard work of BTF's investors, partners, supporters, and current team, BTF keeps growing, and it's time to add new team members.
Welcome to you all and lots of good wishes for becoming part of Team BTF. Congratulations on behalf of all the members. We are all happy and excited about your inputs and contribution to our company.
Mark Knudson is BTF's first National Program Development Director. He is focused on making JobsToBuild the premier online jobs platform that connects homebuilding industry employers and recruiters with qualified skilled talent.
Prior to his role at BTF, he accumulated over 25 years of experience within the Residential Construction Industry, working with multiple top 10 national homebuilders and countless government and industry trade partners covering more than 85 markets across 30 states.
Carmen Cruz is the National Engagement Manager. To serve JobsToBuild job seekers outside of markets where BTF has an offline presence, Carmen will change tradespeople's lives by connecting them with employers, offering career counseling, and providing job placement services.
Prior to her role at BTF, she was the Sector Strategist for the Construction Industry with CareerSource Tampa Bay.
Christopher Rivera is the Engagement Manager – Phoenix and Tucson. Prior to his role at BTF, Chris worked in several managerial positions with established companies such as Wells Fargo and Amazon and startups such as Invitation Homes and Financial Engines.
Justin Pries is the National Engagement Coordinator. As BTF grows, Justin will support large hiring events in various markets, pre-screen potential career candidates, and conduct retention and satisfaction surveys.
He is currently a full-time student at the University of Central Florida, taking classes such as Essentials of Human Resource Management that continue to shape and prepare him for his professional career.
BTF Gets Noticed at Daytona Beach Area Hiring Event
Career fairs are an excellent way for BTF to develop relationships with multiple career candidates while building brand awareness and networking with local businesses.
On January 26, 2022, BTF hosted a hiring event in Holly Hill, Florida, that found attention beyond the usual job seekers and employers. Jacksonville-based Engagement Manager John Tilley reports that in addition to around 65 job candidates attending the event, Holly Hill Mayor Chris Via showed up to learn how BTF can help the community. The mayor appreciated the foundation’s efforts and invited John to represent BTF at future community events.
The event allowed John to communicate about BTF’s mission and vision with various people. He connected with career candidates, a radio station representative, community vendors, and a Daytona homebuilder's association. Besides those efforts, John handed out his entire supply of the children’s book Someone Builds the Dream and needs more books before his next event.
By engaging job seekers, community leaders, and local vendors, BTF is building brand recognition in the communities it serves.
BTF Helps an Aspiring Electrical Engineer Support Himself and Gain Professional Experience while Pursuing His Degree
Keven Hyppolite needed help to reach his potential. He turned to AMIkids, an organization that gives high school youth the support they need to find a brighter future. Keven graduated from their electrical program and is now studying for his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Central Florida (UCF).
Before finding BTF, Keven worked as a dog walker to support himself. Understanding that Keven wanted to work in the electrical field, BTF connected him with Strada Services. Strada recognized his potential and created a schedule that simultaneously allows him to attend school and engage in a meaningful career.
Keven now has the best of both worlds as he attends classes at UCF and gains valuable professional experience.
An organization that offers online training and another that promotes vocational training and job placement have announced a joint effort designed to expand the pool of skilled labor in the residential construction industry.
In March 2020, all but the most essential construction ground to a halt, as nationwide shutdown orders forced businesses—which had operated from a notably strong pre-pandemic position—to cancel jobs, pause operations, or stop doing business altogether. Construction workers felt an immediate pinch amid massive layoffs and unemployment reminiscent of the Great Recession.
The recent boom in home sales belies a pair of severe and related shortages: one of supply, the other of labor. Two organizations, Building Talent Foundation (BTF) and M.T. Copeland, both only a couple of years old, want to help fill the construction talent gap.
The construction labor market remains tight, as the levels of quits rise. The count of open construction jobs declined to 345,000 unfilled positions in November, after recording the highest measure in the history of the data series (going back to late 2000), 445,000 in October.
Higher demand, better pay, and new respect are drawing students to the trades. Education for the skilled trades appears to be returning to fashion, according to enrollment trends, survey data and other signals.
LaborIQ by ThinkWhy forecasts 3.9% expansion in job gains for Construction and Extraction occupations in 2022, but growth could be hindered by limited labor supply.
Here’s a deeper dive into the cause and effect of the construction labor shortage as well as some solutions many leaders in our industry are implementing to start bridging this gap.
A recent NAHB analysis found that women make up just 10.9% of the construction workforce. Hiring female workers and encouraging female workers to consider careers in construction could help lessen the labor shortages plaguing the industry.
-2.png?upscale=true&width=354&upscale=true&name=BTF_Logo-blue%20(1)-2.png){kind=logo}
