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NAHB and NKBA Encourage Young People to Join Skilled Trades

Washington, D.C. -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the National Kitchen and 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 House Generation Next” campaign to encourage and empower young people to join the skilled trades.

Design and Construction Week (DCW), the co-location of NAHB’s International Builders’ Show (IBS) and NKBA’s Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) will host several events supporting the initiative, being held in Orlando, Fla., January. 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 January 9. On January 10, KBIS will co-host a ‘Beers for Trade Careers’ fundraising event with This Old House and its television personalities in The Backyard from 4-5 p.m.

All money raised through the Generation Next campaign during Design and 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 and Construction Week to support and raise awareness for the Generation Next campaign. On January 9, during the Design and 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.”

For more information, visit www.skilledlaborfund.org.