All Campaign Dollars Raised at Design & Construction Week to Benefit the Skilled Labor Fund
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 14, 2017) – (RealEstateRama) — The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) are continuing their dedication to closing the skilled labor gap in 2018, by helping to kick off the second year of the This Old HouseGeneration Next campaign to encourage and empower young people to join the skilled trades. Design & Construction Week® (DCW), the co-location of NAHB’s International Builders’ Show® (IBS) and NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) will host several events supporting the initiative during its run in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 9-11, 2018. NAHB will co-host an event with This Old House in the Professional Builder Show Village located in the IBS Outdoor Exhibits on Jan. 9. On Jan. 10, KBIS will co-host a ‘Beers for Trade Careers’ fundraising event with This Old House and its television personalities in The Backyard from 4 p.m.–5 p.m.
All dollars raised through the Generation Next campaign during Design & Construction Week 2018 will go to the Skilled Labor Fund, an industry-wide effort to raise funds to address the shortage of skilled labor entering the residential construction market.
The crew from This Old House will be in attendance during Design & Construction Week to support and raise awareness for the Generation Next campaign. On Jan. 9, during the Design & Construction Week opening ceremonies, Norm Abram, This Old House master carpenter, will speak to residential builders, designers, contractors, architects and manufacturers as to why the skilled labor gap is now at crisis level, and how everyone can take action to better ensure the future of the building trades.
“Raising awareness of the building trades as a rewarding career path and mentoring a new generation of tradespeople has been an extremely gratifying experience this year,” said Abram. “I’m looking forward to continuing our effort to reinvigorate interest in our industry among young people and closing the skilled jobs gap.”
Abram will share details on how DCW attendees can get involved in the campaign and encourage everyone to donate to the Skilled Labor Fund. On day two of the show, he and the rest of the This Old House television team will be joined by This Old House Ventures’ CEO, Eric Thorkilsen, and NKBA CEO, Bill Darcy, at the ‘Beers for Trade Careers’ event in The Backyard from 4 p.m.–5 p.m. ‘Beers for Trade Careers’ will take place on the Fairway Architectural Stage with beer sponsored by HomeAdvisor. The event will celebrate the great strides the Generation Next campaign and its partners made in year one, and encourage the industry to continue to support the effort in 2018.
The NKBA is committing $10,000 in scholarship dollars to the effort, while also dedicating communications throughout 2018 through its skilled labor initiative aimed at changing traditional perceptions about vocational careers. NAHB and SGC also contributed an additional $5,000 a piece to the fund.
“Addressing our industry’s labor shortages is the number one issue for NAHB members,” said NAHB CEO Jerry Howard. “Joining forces with our trade partner organizations on this shared initiative allows us to direct even more focus on reaching all sectors of the industry and work together to build the future workforce of the residential construction industry.”
“Closing the skilled labor gap is critical to the future health of our industry,” said NKBA vice president of industry relations Suzie Williford. “Without an army of skilled tradesmen and women, all construction projects will take much longer and cost much more. Design & Construction Week is the perfect place to bring attention to the career opportunities in a growing industry for well-paying trade professions, and avoiding the burden of college debt. The NKBA is proud to support Generation Next and be a part of such an important cause.”
“We’re proud to once again host This Old House and its Generation Next campaign at Design & Construction Week to kick off a new year in the effort to close the skilled labor gap,” said Brian Pagel, senior vice president, Emerald Expositions. “The ‘Beers for Trade Careers’ event happening in The Backyard on day two of KBIS gives us an incredible opportunity to come together as an industry to support the skilled labor trades.”
During Design & Construction Week, This Old House will hold a silent auction on Jan. 9 and 10 for all show attendees. The auction will feature products and experiences donated by brands supporting the This Old House Generation Next Campaign as a way to raise even more funds and get the industry involved in the joint effort to close the skilled labor gap. Brands looking to get involved and donate to the silent auction can contact This Old House Ventures, LLC and Claudia Jepsen at ">
For more information, visit www.SkilledLaborFund.org.
CONTACTS
Elizabeth Thompson
202-266-8495
