Behind every home built and tool lifted, the Home Depot Foundation is powering skilled trades careers through its Path to Pro trade programs. Courtney Jenkins from the Home Depot Foundation joins host Andrew Brown to discuss how to start a career in the trades, and what’s next for the trades industry.

Host Andrew Brown welcomes Courtney Jenkins, Manager of National Programs and Strategic Partnerships at the Home Depot Foundation, for a deep dive into the future of skilled trades careers. Discover how trade programs, Path to Pro, and national partnerships are training thousands for construction jobs, HVAC, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical careers.

Whether you’re exploring education in the trades, a contractor seeking new talent, or someone curious about craftsmanship and problem-solving, this episode shows how advocacy, access, and mentorship are closing the skilled labor gap.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) – Skilled Trades as Option A: Why trades careers deserve to be the first choice, not a fallback.

(06:45) – Home Depot Foundation’s $50M Commitment: How investment fuels trade programs nationwide.

(13:10) – Path to Pro Platform: Training, mentorship, and scholarships for construction jobs and trades careers.

(22:30) – Fixing the Labor Shortage: How the trades industry is rebuilding America’s workforce.

(33:50) – Real-Life Impact Stories: From high school programs to veterans finding their calling.

(46:15) – Get Involved: How to join Path to Pro, volunteer, or start your own skilled trades initiative.

Key Takeaways

• The Skilled Trades = Essential Careers: The trades industry fuels America’s economy with construction jobs, HVAC, electricians, carpenters, and plumbers who create lasting impact.
• $50M in Action: Home Depot Foundation’s Impact: Through national trade programs like Path to Pro, the Home Depot Foundation has trained 60,000+ participants and introduced 490,000 people to skilled trades opportunities.
• Education + Advocacy Build the Pipeline: The next generation of tradespeople needs strong mentors, inclusive education, and a culture that celebrates craftsmanship and problem-solving.
• Path to Pro = Path to Success: With free training, scholarships, and job connections, Path to Pro makes starting in the skilled trades accessible, debt-free, and rewarding.

About the Guest

Courtney Jenkins serves as Manager of National Programs and Strategic Partnerships at the Home Depot Foundation, leading initiatives that expand access to trade programs, strengthen the trades industry, and help close the construction jobs gap. Through Path to Pro, she advocates for education, diversity, and long-term career growth in the skilled trades.

Keywords

Skilled Trades, Construction Jobs, Home Depot Foundation, Trade Programs, Path to Pro, Trades Industry, Andrew Brown, Courtney Jenkins, Toolfetch, Carpentry, HVAC, Electricians, Plumbers, Millwrights, Construction, Contractors, Craftsmanship, Problem-solving, Creativity, Tradespeople, Advocacy, Trades Careers, Industry Experts, Education, Skilled Trades Advisory Council

Resource Links

Home Depot's Path to Pro Website: https://pathtopro.com

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyjenkins90/

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The skill trades is not an option B, it's not a secondary situation.

It's not because I couldn't do something else.

It is an option A, and it's a great option A. Some folks don't

wanna go to another four years of school or traditional school.

Some people wanna do a little more training and then get

right to work or work with their hands or say, I built that.

Taking pride in seeing some of those things manifest a little bit quicker.

And so it takes all of us.

Hi, I'm Andrew Brown.

You're listening to The Lost Art of the Skilled Trades Podcast, a show that

shines the spotlight on careers in the skilled trades that are high paying,

honorable, rewarding, and fulfilling.

The trades are the backbone of the economy that keep us running and without them.

Our world would cease to exist.

Today we have a special guest super excited about this.

Courtney Jenkins, manager of the National Programs and Strategic Partnerships

at the Home Depot Foundation.

Welcome, Courtney to the show.

Hi.

Thanks so much.

Yeah, it's great for you to be here.

There is a need, and I always throw out these statistics, but.

We need over 400,000 construction jobs filled here in the us.

We have two choices.

Either be reactive and watch it get worse, or be proactive and build

the next generation, or I like to say Gen Z, ages 13 through 28.

The way that the Home Depot Foundation is doing, you've been leading a lot

of that effort through path to pro.

What was the turning point?

For you or the foundation when you realized, well, we can't

wait for someone else to do it.

We have to solve this.

So it was probably around 2018.

The Home Depot Foundation announced a $50 million commitment to

train 20,000 people by 2028.

Now at that time.

I don't think the gap was quite 400,000.

I know that's what we're looking at right now, but it was a smaller gap in that

and it's since grown, which is crazy.

It's just going up every year.

It's just going up every single year.

We hate to see it, but it reminds us that the work that we're doing is so important.

And so we started that program in the military sector, and so we started on one

military base and Fort Stewart, Georgia.

That was our commitment.

We said, we're gonna train 20,000 people, we're gonna commit $50 million

and we're gonna see where this goes.

And it has.

Blossomed into so many fantastic programs that are serving our

communities across the nation.

We still continue to serve separating military folks.

We're doing scholarships, we're doing high school programs.

We're doing lots of things.

I wanna stop you before that.

'cause you said $50 million and my eyes kind of lit up.

That's a lot of money.

A lot of large companies sometimes just take the profits, right?

A big box store like Home Depot is investing in.

These kids' futures for skill trades.

And that's $50 million.

Is that over the next handful of years, that investment?

Or have you already sunk in 50 million across different programs?

We're well into our investment of $50 million.

Um, we're continuing.

There's no date right now.

We'll just continue to see the need, continue to assess the

need working with our fantastic.

National nonprofit partners.

That's really how we stay connected to the industry and to the folks that we serve

to understand what's missing, what are the needs, and then we kind of go from there.

As far as investments built and the investments that you're putting

in, the $50 million, obviously it's helping the skilled trades labor

shortage, but where does the money go?

I know that you've done some announcement that you put 1 million.

Into, I'm just reading here, a partnership into the Boys and Girls Club of America.

That is a new initiative that you just put in.

Oh yeah.

And you can see I'm smiling from ear to ear.

'cause we're so proud of that.

We're so excited to partner with such a reputable nonprofit organization.

Everybody knows Boys and Girls Clubs, right?

And they have such a good handle on the youth.

So we knew that our next step would make sense to work with someone like

that, who youth and parents can trust.

So, yeah, we just recently announced a new commitment or new investment

of a million dollars with Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and

so this is a pilot partnership.

We are going to start over the next two years working through programs in Atlanta

and Phoenix and in Houston, and we're planning to introduce more than a thousand

youth and teens to careers in carpentry and electrical and HVAC and plumbing.

And then hopefully we'll be able to scale from there.

But we really kind of want to start kind of in those areas where we have

good connections in that market, where we have kind of next steps to

send students after they hopefully fall in love with skilled trades.

We're super excited.

They're a fantastic organization and a great next step for our youth program.

So the 1000 kids, do you know sort of the age bracket, and do

you know if it's the percentage?

Because I'm always curious boys to girls or men to women in this program at other

programs that you guys are investing in.

Yeah, so for the program of Boys and Girls Clubs of America specifically, we'll

have a focus on that kind of youth space.

But we're really open to the demographics of that club.

And so for some clubs, there's folks as young as six years old.

Um, we have third graders, we have folks all the way up into 12th grade.

And so we just recently, as we launched the partnership in Atlanta, 'cause

Atlanta's our backyard, it's our hometown.

We did an event with students from six years old all the way to 12th grade.

Of course the projects varied, but for the elementary school students, we were

doing, you know, getting them used to working with tools and working, they

were making little banks out of wood, and so they were using wood glue and

using hammers and using nails, and they did a fantastic job, honestly.

And then for our older students, the middle school and high school students,

we were assembling furniture by getting tools in their hands, getting them

to work with different materials, getting them to work together,

reading blueprints, reading plans.

And so it's really exciting to see some of these students for their very first time

touch a tool or use a tool or, you know, complete something and seeing their pride.

And so that's what it'll kind of be.

It'll be different per club, but we'll be working with all

agents, which is exciting.

Yeah, I like the pride side of that because yeah, kids can start to feel

a sense of fulfillment at a very early age to work with their hands.

I always say that if a kid has a mechanical ability or a technical

spark, that can really spark their interest, especially at a, a really

young age to say, wait a second.

And especially maybe someone who's in high school who's thinking about a

college path, who says, you know what, maybe college is just not right for me.

Maybe I'll take the trades path.

I've tried this, you know, I did this program with Home Depot and you know, this

is what I want to do, and all you just need is at least one person to say that.

The other side of this too, and I'd like to sort of get your feedback as well.

The kids who are coming to these programs, what about the parents?

Are the parents showing up?

Are they for it?

Are some of them against it or they have questions?

It's a perception shift.

You know, schools have been focused for a very long time on that

college preparatory track, and there's nothing wrong with that.

We are pro college.

We're pro trades.

But we like to tell folks that this is an option A, the skill trades is not an

option B, it's not a secondary situation.

It's not because I couldn't do something else.

It is an option A, and it's a great option A. Some folks don't

wanna go to another four years of school or traditional school.

Some people wanna do a little more training and then get

right to work or work with their hands or say, I built that.

Taking pride in seeing some of those things manifest a little bit quicker.

And so it takes all of us.

It takes the teachers, it takes the guidance counselors, it takes the

parents, it takes the guardians.

It takes all of us to kind of make that mind shift and say, Hey,

these are good, meaningful careers.

You can go a lot of different directions with this.

You can learn a trade over nine to 12 weeks, and then you can learn another

one if you want to, or you can stay in that one specific discipline.

You can start your own business.

You can.

Do a lot of things and it's necessary.

I think helping folks understand the need is really where we find that sweet spot.

Understanding that need, showing them how you can get there.

Yeah, to your point, it's definitely about changing the

mindset of some parents, you know?

But we do see a lot of parents that are very, very supportive

and they do show up and they're excited to see their kids excited.

It's like, I built this, I did this.

Home Depot was here today with me, and we were learning this.

And so I think seeing those parents see their children excited, seeing those

guardians see their children excited.

It's great.

Yeah.

I like how you weaved in it's option A instead of option B because.

For a long time, people have said it's option B for kids that just

maybe just didn't do well in school.

Can always be a plumber, an electrician, a, a welder.

I think a lot of those old adages are kind of falling by the wayside

because of programs like this.

Social media with some of these influencers out there and who is a

welder, an electrician, a plumber, men and women, showcasing exactly

what they do with their hands and how successful they can actually be.

What are some of the questions that really come up?

When you have these type of events from these kids, are they actively

coming up and asking, Hey, how do I get into more plumbing?

How do I get into welding or carpentry?

Those questions, you know, you get the juices flowing with some of these kids.

Do those questions come up for some of 'em?

Yes.

Um, not always.

When that first introduction, sometimes when that first introduction,

it's just, how do I use this tool?

How do I put this together?

Where does this nail go?

You know, some of those very tactical questions, but I think.

For our programs where we have ongoing touch points with these students

to introduce them, those questions come up and so we'll have folks from

the industry and other, you know, businesses will come in and connect

with the students in that way.

We just had a program, one of our programs with a hundred Black Men of America.

Home Builders Institute out of Philadelphia, a lot of their

students are in the 11th and 12th grade space and they're really

getting serious about this work.

And so one of the students just last week, we heard that, you know, an industry

professional came in and he was like, wait, I can make how much money wait.

I can do, this is the freedom I'll have, or these are the pathways.

And so I think some of those things will get their, get their wheels turning on,

oh, okay, I didn't think about that.

Or, oh, okay, I didn't think that I could do this as quickly, or

that these were the opportunities.

It does.

It takes a minute, I think, sometimes to click and they're not always

thinking about that at, you know, in elementary school or in middle school.

But especially when they get to that high school space and they're getting closer

to really stepping into the real world.

They do.

They start to really think through what this could look like seriously.

And that's fun.

Yeah.

And we need to not be invisible.

We need to show up where these kids are, right?

Absolutely.

So if it's going to schools or having these sort of a day in a life as a trades

person and working with tools, right?

So I always feel that if you introduce kids at an early age, like let them

use power tools, let them use blow torches, obviously under supervision.

I even seen with my own son who's turning 12, like I'm showing him some.

You know how to use a zoll or how to use a drill, right?

Even how to read a tape measure.

You'd be surprised how many kids just don't know how to read it.

Even apprentices.

I've heard that some don't know how to read a tape measure, but those

basic, basic skills that you can learn at a early age, hey, maybe they

don't necessarily go into a trade.

But they can be handy and be curious around the house and

maybe try to fix things around the house and it sets you up.

Because if you're ever a homeowner, you can fix stuff.

'cause there's a lot of people that I know won't even touch anything,

let alone screwing a light bulb.

Exactly.

No, to your point is having those skills that.

It goes beyond the careers.

Of course, we want you to get a great career in the skilled trades, but even

if it's just for your own satisfaction of, you know, not having to call that

local plumber and not having to call that carpenter electrician, like I

know for myself as a homeowner, we've had some expensive calls with those

folks and, and rightfully so because they're doing fantastic work that

we need, but it's useful for sure.

So I wanna read something here and I just wanna reiterate this 'cause you

had said this, that since the program's inception, foundation's trade focused

partnerships have trained more than 60,000 participants and introduced more

than 490,000 people to the skilled trades surpassing its commitment to train 20,000

people six years ahead of schedule.

I am sure everybody is smiled ear to ear when you hear those statistics.

It's incredible.

We're super grateful for, like I said, we can't do anything what we do without

our nonprofit partners like Home Builders Institute and Skill Point Foundation

and Construction already outta Georgia and Folds of honor all the folks

that help us do the work that we do.

But yeah, it's incredible.

You know, when you look at those numbers that against what's happening in the

industry and the massive gap that's still there is just a constant reminder that.

We're doing so many great things and so much has happened, but

they're still so far to go.

And so that's what keeps us motivated.

It's like, yes, we trained 60,000 people.

We reached our goal, uh, surpass our goal six years early.

Very proud of that.

But what's next?

How do we continue to make those numbers happen?

How do we continue to get people into meaningful careers?

You know, we've introduced 490,000 people to the skilled trades.

Those are 490,000 people that had no idea about this industry.

We're doing something right.

That gives us, I think, the fuel to continue to go and to continue to keep

that momentum because the need is there.

There's 400,000 open roles or nearly 400,000.

So you know, the work doesn't stop there.

But we're grateful for the strategy we've made so far.

Obviously you wanna work with certain partners that will help

push that initiative and you would said Home Builders Institute,

construction ready, skill Point Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club.

I know Skill Point.

I know the other side, not so much the foundation, but Skill Point itself.

And I know the website.

I forget the individual who was the original person behind Skill Point.

I believe he worked for nascar.

He was the CFOI am blanking on his name and I've met him.

Yes.

And I believe that's also with Nay.

They're part of the Skill Point website and what they do, and I

liked actually their portal and how they give information if you wanna.

Become an electrician or a plumber, you can take this like 20 or 30

question quiz assessment and it tells you, okay, you'd be more destined to

be a welder, or you can be a lineman and here's all about being a lineman,

or here's all about being a plumber.

This is the money you can make and these are all the programs that you can

reach out to to further your career.

So I do know the Skill Point Foundation pretty well.

How do you select partners like a Boys and Girls Club?

How does that come to fruition for your foundation to pick the right partners?

So the Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation, we are guided by a set

of eight core values, and that's really what we base everything on.

So.

Can you do the work in the industry?

Obviously that's important.

Like, you know, how many folks have you trained?

All those things are important, but we have to make sure that our values align.

Do you care about taking care of your people?

Do you care about giving back?

Do you care about the communities in which you serve?

Because that's how you're gonna keep people engaged.

Of course, you can get people in and out of a program all day long,

but are you caring about, you know.

Their personal lives.

Are you caring about making sure that they have a good step and meaningful

connection to this industry and making sure that they're getting meaningful work?

So that's where we start, is do we align on some of those

value-based qualities first?

And so from there we talk, you know, business and all those things.

As far as like, you know, what is your reputation in the Skilled Trades?

Home Builders Institute has been doing this for 50 plus

years, and so they're reputable.

They have an industry recognized curriculum called pact.

That is how we started.

They were our first partner in this space.

Then from there, we looked at folks like Construction Ready in Georgia,

very reputable within the education system in Georgia and in Florida.

They are embedded in the classrooms at these schools from kindergarten

all the way up to 12th grade.

And so that's kind of where we start.

What are your values?

What are you already doing in the industry?

Does it make sense for us to help?

Can our partnership or our investments help plus at what you're doing?

Can we scale?

And so obviously Boys and Girls Club, like I said, very reputable,

very much in the youth space.

So we thought they made a a lot of sense.

That's kind of how we start with any partnership.

And so kind of taking some of those key elements to make sure that

we're jiving there, if you will.

The core values in that side of, it's extremely important 'cause you wanna

partner, obviously wants the same thing, but you know, do you mesh well with that

partner, which is extremely important.

So I'm sure you're selective.

On some of the partners that you take on, but these partners have

done wonderful things and are doing wonderful things in in the industry.

When you go to these events, when you go to these, you know, where the kids are

showing up on site, are there any success stories or anything that sticks out to

you that you'd want to share about one of the students or a couple of the students

that, uh, really kind of said, wow, you know, that's a really good success story.

We have a young lady in one of our programs out in Oakland.

She's in a under invested community.

She's had a lot of, you know, difficulty at home.

Parents weren't around.

She's been bounced around to different family members, starting to affect

her schoolwork and other things, and she found out about the program.

She was encouraged by one of her teachers at the school to,

Hey, look into this program.

This could be something that you might wanna do after graduation

or could be of interest to you.

And so she got into the program, fell in love with the program, was really

guided and nurtured by her instructors and has since graduated in September.

And now she is going to be, so she's either gonna do painting or welding.

She's still trying to decide on which path she's gonna go.

But we hear so many stories like that of students who are.

Some of our students have faced things like gun violence or family issues,

or you know, just not knowing at all what they were going to do, had no

path at all, and got involved with the program and under, you know,

wonderful guidance of our instructors and other teachers and educators.

Were able to map out that career path and see what was next after high school.

You go from having nothing after high school to now taking a two year

program, and now you have direction.

That's powerful.

You know, just from finding something that works for you, finding something that

you like, that you enjoy finding someone at your school who cares about you.

And like I said, that's why it goes deeper than just the training.

It's also about the instructors that you have.

It's about the community of folks around these young

people, the guidance counselors.

It's not always the guardians, sometimes the guardians, but when they

come to the schools, when they get to those programs, having, I wanna shout

our instructors across our military programs, our high school programs.

Academy programs, they are incredible.

Some of them drive 90 miles to and from, or one way just to do these programs.

And I asked 'em, I'm like, why do you do that?

Because I believe in this next generation, because I care about

this next generation because I know the importance of this industry.

I know this industry did for me.

I know that how it helped me.

Provide direction.

So we hear things like that.

And so they're pouring back into the youth, pouring back

into this next generation.

And so I'm hoping that they not only take the skills that they're learning, but

they take the care that was given to them through these programs to train that next

person to pour into that next generation.

We gotta keep it going.

So those are some of the stories that get me.

I'm like, wow.

I think sometimes I'm like, well, I had a bad day this morning for

something small or whatever, and I'm like, and I was complaining.

I'm like, I have no room to complain.

Students are coming to school every day and beating all sorts of odds.

So that's incredible.

That's a powerful success story.

That's one of many, you know, when you hear these stories, I remember hearing

of this woman, Cheyenne Ray, again, she came from a tough background as well,

through a household that, you know, she was told that she can't do much.

Like you're not gonna be successful.

She ended up finding welding as a passion, and she got in with the Tulsa

welding school and she learned the trade and now she's working for a union,

taking her apprenticeship at night.

She's working at a solar plant and she said, she's like, welding gives me peace.

You know, it's like she puts the hood on welding peace.

It's like somebody took the time to show her the way.

Right.

So it's like programs like this.

That really kind of, you know, somebody who's maybe just lost or

just doesn't know, or doesn't have a mentor of some sort that gets

exposed to a program like this.

Then you have these individuals, like you said, driving 90 miles just to show

up and to showcase their skills, their trade, and then one of these individuals.

Showing Danielle and now all of a sudden she's maybe on a path to welding, which

is a great path because there's only about 4% of women who are in welding.

It's a really powerful, some of these success stories are extremely powerful.

That's just us going to them and giving them a platform.

These, uh, kids who are in Gen Z 13 to 28, really a place to really

thrive in and they can really maybe have a, a really great career.

Yeah.

That's exciting to see.

Yeah, just showing up.

Showing up, and that's half the battle.

Just show up.

We can teach you the rest.

Just show up.

So if you wanted to get into one of these programs, you're interested maybe working

with your hands, how does that work?

So somebody who's listening, like, that's me, I'm raising my hand.

What do I need to do?

Yeah, so for our high school program, so we have, like I said, different

sectors separating military.

We have high school students, then we have some that are just for general public.

But for our high school programs to get involved, the program

has to be at your high school.

So check with your local high school to see is this a program that's offered?

And if it's not, connect with a, an instructor at your school

or an educator at your school.

And on h b's website, hbi.org there are ways to get involved with the program

and so you can get a grant for your school to get a program started there.

That's one way.

Other ways to get involved are scholarships.

If you know that you're someone who's already interested in the trades, maybe

you're already doing training or maybe you know, hey, after high school, or one of my

next steps is gonna be that I wanna go to a community college or a technical college

or enroll in a Skilled trades program.

We offer scholarships as well, so I can give you the info for that too.

But on Skill Point Foundation's website, we offer scholarships

for anybody entering or enrolling.

Or enrolled in skilled trades programs, and we can help cover costs for that.

If you're a separating service member, there may be programs on your base.

We are on or adjacent to 10 military bases right now, and then we have

academy programs as well that are in different markets, and that's

open to anybody, 18 or older.

It's a nine week program, and all of these programs are free.

And then if you don't happen to be in any of these markets, or you're

not any of these populations, you can also go to Path to Pro do com.

And so that's on our Home Depot business side.

But there are free resources there.

Free training, you can set up a profile.

So if you're looking for work or if you're looking for people who are seeking work,

you can connect there and do that as well.

There's also profiles as far as breaking down kind of each discipline, if you will.

So carpentry, electrical, hvac, plumbing, to talk through what's required for those

industries, how much money you can make in those industries, all those things.

So that's a fantastic resource path to pro.com.

Lots of good stuff, free resources there as well.

You know, you talk about a college path versus a trades path, and when

you said free my ears perked up because you're ahead of the game.

'cause you're coming outta the gate with no debt and if you end up obviously

getting a scholarship or getting some training, you could start making money

right away early on in your twenties and like, you're almost ahead of the game,

you know, with everything that's happening with AI and kids coming outta school

and you hear these reports, a kid's not getting jobs right away and they want to,

you know, have a four year degree versus someone who wants to go a trades route.

Is succeeding.

And if you look at a graph side by side, sometimes the person with,

uh, trades path is earning more and ahead of the game with less debt.

What's great about this is that you always have a skillset that

can't be taken away from you.

So even if you get up and move and you go to a different state, you can

find work because you have that skill.

That's why I'm always literally out there on a stage giving a keynote.

Whether I'm on a podcast, I'm on social media or live anywhere, just showcasing

that, going that path, you can really succeed, but you gotta put the work in.

But one way to do that is really through Home Depot and the foundation and what

you're doing with all these different programs is to get your start, what

you can, get your start ahead of the game by some of these free services.

Absolutely.

And to your point, you have to put the work in, but that's with anything in life.

You have to put the work in and the time is going to pass no matter

if you're doing this program or if you're not doing a program.

So you may as well use the time if you know you're interested, get in that

program, get working with your hands.

And like you said, you'll be ahead of the game.

That point that you made is one of my favorites.

You will walk away with skills that no one can take away.

And to your point, if you wanna transition your career or you

wanna move to another state.

This is a nationwide situation that we're in right now.

We need these folks in every single state, and so no matter where you wanna go, you

have the freedom to build your career.

You have your freedom to join someone else's business and help build that up.

You have the freedom to do lots of things, and that is one of my favorite things.

To your point about the opportunities, is that they're really endless.

It's like you can make it what you want, get the training, put the work in, and

then you can make it what you want.

Like you said, no debt.

Get to work really soon.

It's almost a no brainer.

I love that you are out there beating the drum constantly, letting the folks know

this is the place option A. I like that.

I always started with option B, but I like, I'm gonna start

with option A. I like that.

Courtney, did you come up in a trades family at all?

Blue collar?

Anybody in your family?

In the trades?

Not specifically in my family, but lots of family friends who have these skills.

I've always admired that because I'm not as handy.

I'm getting more handy now as I'm telling people to get the training

and to try things and to do things.

I'm making sure that I'm living that as well.

So I'm trying things and doing things not always to the best,

but, you know, doing what I can.

But no, I didn't.

I've just seen it working with the Home Depot, obviously, for the last

11 years and seeing the passion of, of our people, but that's one of our

greatest assets is what we always say is.

What you can't take away from our business is like, sure, there's lots of

other places out there and AI and all that, but one of our greatest assets

is our people going into a store.

And being able to have that face-to-face connection with folks who know

electrical, who know plumbing, who know you know these different categories

so well, to help you do your projects, helping you empower other people.

And so I think that's where my kind of love has come.

From with this is again, like I said, seeing folks that I've known

growing up, but seeing our people who are so sharp in these spaces.

And then when we're out in the community, team Depot is another

element of our foundation, and that's our associate volunteer force.

And so we do Team Depot projects 365 days a year, and that is where we focus on

our different missions of the foundation.

So it could be.

Helping create affordable housing solutions for veterans.

So maybe doing critical home repairs for a senior veteran who needs to remain in

their home longer, or helping communities rebuild after natural disasters.

So doing repairs for homes that are in communities that have

been, you know, devastated.

So getting out there and doing some of that work myself has really sparked a lot

of interest and helped me kind of find.

Different spaces in this industry that I love.

So those are the best days when we're out of the office and we are in the

communities and we're helping and we're building, we're doing one a day.

I'm not there, but it's a good time.

Certainly Home Depot is checking a lot of different boxes and a lot of

different areas, and that they're giving back really to the trades.

And you know, at the end of the day, they're the people that

also buy the tools as well.

So you want to keep it flourishing for years to come, but it's great that

you're being exposed to it as well.

And you see the impact that the foundation's doing.

That they're giving $50 million away to these programs.

It's just really mind blowing.

It's great to see that again, you know the big box store is really

wanting to see those 400,000 people that are desperately needed in

construction to narrow that gap's.

Gonna take some time.

That number's gonna keep going up, but I think we're

starting to turn a corner here.

With the different programs that are out there and all the advocating

that's being done out here.

One other question is the people who are actually, uh, working with kids

that you said that could travel up to 90 miles, how do they get involved

in the program if they wanted to?

If anybody's listening who's like, oh, I can give back.

What can I do?

I would check out pat to pro.com and that has lots of free resources.

And then through the PACT curriculum, through HBI.

We also do training for instructors as well.

So I would visit hpi.org and see where the PAC curriculum is.

A lot of these schools have existing programs where they're already shop

instructors or you know, instructors that are already there, but

there's lots of ways to give back.

There are lots of nonprofits out there that are doing this work,

and they always need volunteers.

They always need people who are willing to maybe share their expertise.

So that can be one way.

Check with your local nonprofit partners or local nonprofits to see, hey.

Do you need somebody to come in on a Saturday to do a workshop, or do you

need somebody on a Tuesday to, you know, give a quick intro to carpentry?

How can I help there?

Also, if there are schools nearby where you know that there are.

Shop classes or these course of programs, and maybe you have a business or maybe

you're in the industry or you have something to offer, see if there's

availability for you to come in and speak to the students and talk through

what a real career path could look like.

Those are always opportunities that folks are looking for to help show students

real life application of these skills.

So those are some of the easy ways that you can, for some of our

programs, it can be a little bit tougher, but like I said, hb.org.

Is a great place to start and pat to pro.com.

Another great place to start if you're looking to kind of

get involved and give back.

Yeah, and that's important too, for somebody who's maybe aging out

and starting to leave the industry and really just wants to take their

30 years of knowledge and maybe HVAC or carpentry and give back.

Don't just leave.

Cast that knowledge onto a younger individual and that could be done

obviously through one of these programs, which will be super

helpful and it's desperately needed.

'cause we need people to share that information with the younger generation.

So I think that's, uh, super cool that you can go on there and if

you want to give back, you can.

And that's one way to.

Give back

now the tools of the trade.

Courtney, this has been an excellent conversation, but at the end of

every episode, I always ask my guests to share one tool of the

trade, a piece of advice, or maybe a mindset that's helped them succeed.

What's yours?

I would say for folks to know that there is a space.

There is a place for every person within this industry.

We need so many people, and it's going to take all of us to get the

S gap closed, to keep our nation running in a productive way.

And there's a space and a place for all of us here.

So the numbers may be low on some, you know, groups, and some folks

may be minorities, but there is a space and a place for everybody.

And if you're willing to learn, if you're willing to put in the hard work.

There are people out there who are willing to train you, who are willing to help you

and not only just train you, but then help you find meaningful careers, something

that'll make you happy, something that'll give you or help increase your

purpose in this world and giving back.

And so that's why I say know that there is a space and a place for you

to not be intimidated by this industry.

There is a space and there is a place for you, and we need you.

I like that.

And it's great advice.

You know, it's about.

There is a path for you and that if you wanna work with your

hands, there is a path to succeed.

There is a ladder of success.

If you wanna be a plumber, a welder, a carpenter, any blue holler,

skilled trades, it's all desperately needed across the board with the

shortages, and you can do extremely well the next handful of years.

So definitely, if you wanna start your path in the skilled trades,

definitely look at some of the resources that Courtney was talking about.

I know you mentioned them, but.

If people want to go and find out more information about the foundation,

also social media, where do they go?

Yes, please visit us@homedepotfoundation.org.

We are also on X at Home Depot found.

We're on Facebook and we are on Instagram at Home Depot Foundation.

And then on LinkedIn at the Home Depot, and then we'll have plenty

of resources and updates on all the things that we're doing.

Like I said, path to pro.com is also another fantastic place for immediate

free resources for you to find work, for you, to find folks who are looking

for work, all those great things.

So check out those resources, let your journey begin, and definitely

check out those resources.

Good places to you know.

Figure out your next step in the skilled trades and definitely watch out for what

the foundation is doing in the future.

Courtney, thank you so much for sharing the foundation's mission

and everything they're doing.

It's amazing what Home Depot is doing, and I'm proud to really kind

of share that with my audience and, and what you're doing out there.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

We appreciate all you're doing in the industry and

helping us highlight the work.

We appreciate it.

Thank you to our listeners.

I'll be podcasting from events and trade shows across the country throughout

the year, so keep an eye out for that.

If you're a school nonprofit or company working to get more people into the

skilled trades, I'd love to connect.

Whether it's speaking at your event, sharing your story through trades media,

our media platform, or partnering to Spotlight the amazing work you're doing,

you could reach out to me@andrewbrown.net.

Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss another episode.

We'll see you next time.

Thanks for listening to The Lost Art of the Skilled Trades.

Visit us@andrewbrown.net for more resources and tips.

Join us next time for real stories and meaningful initiatives as we celebrate

our men and women in the skilled trades and shape the future together.