Grants help expand free training and accreditation opportunities to high school students, veterans, separating service members and Gold Star families.
ATLANTA, August 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Home Depot Foundation announced an additional investment of more than 6 million dollars in training in skilled trades and launched new strategic partnerships to address the nearly 400,000 job opportunities in the construction industry. Thanks to these philanthropic grants, the Foundation Path to Pro Program launched an all-new entrepreneurship program and will provide free skilled trades training and scholarships to more veterans, military families, high school students and separated service members.
To serve future entrepreneurs in the skilled trades sector, The Home Depot Foundation is partnering with Bunker Labs to launch an entrepreneurship program designed to guide U.S. veterans and military spouses through the process of establishing a a successful business foundation. During the 8-week program, participants will receive industry-specific mentoring, learn market segmentation, how to cater to specific customer profiles, and design a business plan for launch. The program’s virtual offering makes it accessible to participants across the country.
The Foundation is also expanding its Path to Pro scholarship program with grants to the SkillPointe Foundation, its partner since 2021, and through a new partnership with Folds of Honor. Military scholarships offered by Folds of Honor provide financial support to eligible veterans and military family members who are entering or enrolled in accredited specialized trade schools.
“We are expanding our current training programs and creating new pathways to gradually fill the nation’s skilled workforce gap with in-demand talent,” said the executive director of the Home Depot Foundation. Shannon Gerber. “Diversifying our approach with additional entrepreneurship and scholarship programs helps ensure we reach more communities with free training opportunities and create lasting change for the industry.”
The Home Depot Foundation awarded its grant to long-time partner Home Builders Institute to expand its Path to Pro programs in high schools and military schools. Both organizations will continue to provide free PACT program certification to more than 1,200 service members who transition from the military each year, 11th and 12th first graders and Title 1 schools nationwide.
The Home Depot Foundation Skilled Trades Training Program, Path to Prolaunched in 2018 with a $50 million commitment to training the next generation of skilled tradespeople, diversifying the trades industry, and addressing the growing labor shortage in the United States. The Foundation’s career-focused partnerships have introduced more than 200,000 people to the skilled trades and trained more than 41,000 participants through available programs. to youth, high school students, underserved communities, and separated U.S. military personnel.
Beyond the Foundation’s work in this area, Home Depot’s Path to Pro network connects skilled craftsmen with professional contractors and job opportunities. The Path to Pro Network has introduced more than 12,000 job seekers to millions of Home Depot Pro customers nationwide and provided exclusive access to more than 2,200 jobs. For more information and to find skilled trades resources available in English and Spanish, visit PathtoPro.com.
About the Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation, the nonprofit arm of The Home Depot (NYSE: HD), works to improve the homes and lives of America’s veterans, support communities impacted by natural disasters, and train skilled tradespeople to fill the workforce gap. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $475 million in veterans’ causes and improved more than 55,000 veterans’ homes and facilities. The Foundation has committed to investing half a billion dollars in veterans’ causes by 2025 and $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program.
To learn more about the Home Depot Foundation, visitHomeDepotFoundation.org and follow usTwitter@HomeDepotFound and so onFacebookAndInstagram@HomeDepotFoundation.
SOURCE The Home Depot Foundation
