An Effort to Help Build Careers in Construction

ore people are retiring from careers in the construction trades than are entering them — and the Home Depot Foundation is on a mission to turn that around. In 2018, it committed $50 million over 10 years to partner with nonprofits on its Path to Pro program, which trains K-12 students, retired military personnel, women, and people of color in skilled trades.

Jobs as plumbers, electricians, and construction managers offer well-paying, secure careers. But they’ve fallen out of favor. That’s because entryways to the trades like shop class are disappearing from high schools around the country. Society has elevated a four-year college degree as the standard for a good education and the baseline for a well-paying career, says Heather Prill, senior philanthropist for strategic partnerships at the Home Depot Foundation.

Removing the stigma of skilled trade jobs is a priority for Prill and the nonprofits that run the Path to Pro program in schools, at academies the foundation has helped start, and on military bases around the country. “We should never look at the trades as a Plan B for people,” Prill says. “This is Plan A for people, and they can make an incredible career out of it.”

When the program launched, its goal was to introduce 20,000 people to skilled trade careers over 10 years — a milestone it quickly surpassed, Prill says. Five years in, Path to Pro programs have reached more than 130,000 people in 33 states. More than 39,000 participants have also earned workplace safety and pre-apprenticeship certificates.

The program attracts people looking for work, as well as entrepreneurs who hope to own their own businesses, Prill says. “This is a great career path,” she says. “It’s not a job, it’s really a career, something that they can build their life around.”