Leading Builders of America Form New Non-Profit Aimed at Bringing Diverse Talent into Construction Careers

Building Talent Foundation Strives to Engage 100,000 New Skilled Technical Workers by 2030

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Oct 20, 2020, 06:03 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Building Talent Foundation (BTF) announced their official launch today as part of Careers in Construction month. The new non-profit was established to advance the education, training and career progression of young people from underrepresented groups in construction. BTF's vision is to build a sustainable workforce by 2030 – one that is valued, well-trained, safe, resilient, diverse, as well as treated and compensated fairly by employers.

Founded by the Leading Builders of America (LBA), which includes many of the largest publicly traded and privately held homebuilding companies in North America, BTF was initiated with the goal of addressing the persistent labor shortage of skilled technical workers across the building trades. As of last month, construction already recovered 64 percent of the 1.1 million jobs lost in March and April, and has more than 260,000 open positions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BTF aims to recruit and place 100,000 new individuals into the industry by 2030. An analysis by BTF on the industry's labor market challenges and the effective approaches to solve them, are on their website here.

"We are thrilled to announce the arrival of BTF to the industry today," said Taylor Morrison Chairman and CEO Sheryl Palmer, a leading builder member and BTF Chairwoman. "Our mission through BTF is to build a robust and sustainable talent pipeline nationwide and connect passionate new graduates and people alike to opportunities in every sector of construction. It is never too late to pursue a career in skilled trades, which offers innovative, imaginative and impactful experiences every day. Beyond building homes, we are creating communities and a place to make a lifetime of lasting memories."

"The key to aligning supply and demand for labor in our sector is in the collaboration between all relevant stakeholders – educators, employers, trade associations, workforce development boards and community based organizations," said Branka Minic, CEO of Building Talent Foundation. "In Arizona, Florida and Texas, BTF has partnered with local builders, suppliers, and trades, and with high schools, community colleges and nonprofit training providers. We have also aligned with workforce initiatives spearheaded by our homebuilders associations, and engaged with government programs that support reskilling and on-the-job training of unemployed people for high-demand jobs. I'm confident that launching now allows us to be a catalyst that can drive more talent into construction's current growth as part of an overall economic recovery," she added.

The strategy for BTF is centered around three core areas: 1) building a talent pipeline - engaging with young people, in schools and in communities to encourage their interest and exploration of careers in construction; 2) building talent connections - supporting and strengthening education partnerships where job seekers are, and the training programs, tools and platforms where employers seek new talent; and 3) building talent engagement - leveraging innovative talent management technology and advancing workplace practices for recruiting, hiring, developing, engaging, and retaining workers in construction. All three of these goals are a comprehensive effort for addressing the labor shortage, and building a sustainable workforce – one that is valued by employers, well trained and supported, engaged with colleagues and the industry at large, safe and healthy, resilient to change, diverse and representative of the broader workforce, and treated and compensated fairly by employers. All three areas of the organization's strategy seek to advance United Nations Sustainable Goals 4 and 8. For more information about how BTF is addressing these goals, click here.

About Building Talent Foundation

Building Talent Foundation (BTF) was founded by the Leading Building of America, 20 of the largest residential building companies in the US with the purpose to address the severe and persistent labor shortage across skilled trades by improving talent supply, training and retention. The non-profit organization brings together employers, educators, suppliers, manufacturers and all other market players, to catalyze, accelerate and synchronize joint projects for building the sector's workforce of the future. For more information, visit buildingtf.org.

About Leading Builders of America

LBA is a trade association based in Washington, DC. Their members include many of the largest homebuilding companies in North America including both publicly traded companies as well as privately held companies. Their purpose is to preserve home affordability for American families. They do this by carefully evaluating the public policy dialog at the federal and state level and becoming actively engaged in issues that have the potential to impact home affordability.

LBA member companies build across the residential spectrum from first-time and move-up to luxury and active-adult housing. In each of these segments, members are leaders in construction quality, energy efficiency, design and the efficient use of land. Many members are also active in urban multi-family markets and also develop traditional and neo-traditional suburban communities. LBA member companies also operate a range of subsidiaries that complement their core homebuilding business including mortgage lending and title insurance.

Contact: MJ Viederman
603-759-0738
[email protected]

SOURCE Taylor Morrison