The Lowe’s Foundation on Tuesday announced a new national coalition to address the nation’s skilled-trades workforce shortage by bringing together community colleges, employers, workforce organizations and industry partners with a goal of helping train and develop 1 million skilled-trades professionals by 2035.
The new Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition includes more than 75 founding members representing education, business and workforce development sectors. Participants include major corporations such as NVIDIA, AT&T, Bank of America, Carrier, General Motors, DEWALT and Duke Energy, as well as community colleges and workforce training providers.
The initiative builds on the Lowe’s Foundation’s existing network of 73 community college and nonprofit partners across 30 states that have participated in the foundation’s skilled-trades investment efforts. According to the foundation, outcomes from those partnerships helped spur the creation of the broader coalition.
Community colleges are expected to play a key role in the coalition’s work. In announcing the effort, Lowe’s highlighted institutions, including Houston City College and MiraCosta College, among the participating organizations.
“The next industrial revolution won’t be built by algorithms alone. It will be built by the millions of skilled trade professionals who power, connect and move this country forward,” Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s chairman and CEO, said in a release. He said the coalition grew from requests by existing partners to expand efforts to support workforce training and career pathways in the trades.
Focus areas
The coalition comes as employers face persistent shortages of workers in construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, energy and other sectors. Lowe’s cited U.S. Department of Education estimates that as many as 2.1 million skilled-trades jobs could remain unfilled by 2030.
Coalition members will focus on three areas:
- Improving perceptions of careers in the skilled trades
- Expanding proven training and credentialing programs
- Developing shared measures to track workforce outcomes from training through employment
The group plans to use labor-market data and employer input to strengthen connections between training providers and industry.
Business leaders participating in the coalition emphasized the need for collaborative workforce solutions. In statements accompanying the announcement, executives from AT&T, Bank of America, Carrier and Duke Energy said growing demand for skilled workers requires partnerships across industries and education providers.
The coalition also includes national workforce and industry organizations such as the National Association of Home Builders, the National Center for Construction Education and Research, SkillsUSA and Carhartt. Additional members and commitments are expected to be announced as the initiative is implemented.
