Homebuilders academy set to open in 2020
A severe shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry has prompted the Huntsville Madison County Builders Association to open an academy that will train more construction workers.
The academy is still in the planning stages. Even so, what the Huntsville Madison County Builders Association plans to do is something that no other builders’ association anywhere in the country has ever attempted. They are starting their own school that will be known as the North Alabama Homebuilders Academy and they plan to open it in January.
Barry Oxley, the executive director for the Huntsville builders group, said that the school is needed. He said:
The national average age for a homebuilder currently stands at 57 years old. According to projections, for every new homebuilder that comes in, three are lost thanks to retirement, death, or a change of vocation. Oxley believes that unless something is done soon, the consumers are going to suffer due to a lack of skilled labor.
The new academy is hoping to enroll students who have opted out of college. The Huntsville Madison County Homebuilders Association knows that its budget for the project is rather large, so it is hoping to receive donations, corporate gifts and state grants to help it get the $600,000 it needs for its first-year budget.
The academy is still in the planning stages. Even so, what the Huntsville Madison County Builders Association plans to do is something that no other builders’ association anywhere in the country has ever attempted. They are starting their own school that will be known as the North Alabama Homebuilders Academy and they plan to open it in January.
Barry Oxley, the executive director for the Huntsville builders group, said that the school is needed. He said:
“Right now in our country, there is a 400,000 people deficit in employment for trades. In five years, that’s going to triple…Anything you look at in the home is done by our industry. And we have a shortage across the board for all of it.”
The national average age for a homebuilder currently stands at 57 years old. According to projections, for every new homebuilder that comes in, three are lost thanks to retirement, death, or a change of vocation. Oxley believes that unless something is done soon, the consumers are going to suffer due to a lack of skilled labor.
The new academy is hoping to enroll students who have opted out of college. The Huntsville Madison County Homebuilders Association knows that its budget for the project is rather large, so it is hoping to receive donations, corporate gifts and state grants to help it get the $600,000 it needs for its first-year budget.