HOUSTON – While the trades have offered a popular alternative to four-year college, learning new skills can seem challenging for some.
There appears to be demand for those skills. Home Depot says professional builders and contractors need qualified people to do the work.
With about 400,000 open trades jobs at any given moment, and nearly four million anticipated over the next decade, Home Depot is trying to help answer that call with its Path to Pro program.
Path to Pro program
Started in 2021, the program started as an online portal to teach some building skills. Now, an expansion looks to recruit and train the next generation of skilled trades workers and get them started, for free.
The company’s Path to Pro website offers free, on-demand self-guided courses in an ever expanding list of expertise, taught by in-house and industry experts. Specifically, carpentry, construction, electrical and HVAC instruction can open the door to careers for those who complete the work, by finding a match to continue the job professionally.
Home Depot says it has half a million users learning skills with Path to Pro, and 115,000 people are registered and looking for work with those skills.
For those who simply want to learn a new skill, the program is also available, free of charge.
What they’re saying:
“Our pros are telling us, ‘I need people to show up on the job site and know the basics of construction, and I’ll teach them the hands-on components of the rest.’ How can we meet that training need to help them?” says Home Depot workforce director Jenna Arca.
“When they’re done with their training, they can create a profile, showcase their skills, experiences, things that they bring to the table that can differentiate them from others (and appear on the registry that) millions and millions of pros who are shopping with us, usually go and find their labor,” Arca continued.
The Source: Information in this story came from Home Depot and pathtopro.com