As students across the country head back to school, some are returning to campuses and classrooms with a fresh perspective on what it takes to build a home. This summer, many builders opened their doors to students through internship programs designed to offer a firsthand look at the industry, from jobsite operations and construction to purchasing, marketing, and sales.
For builders, the programs represent a proactive approach to a workforce challenge that continues to loom over the industry. According to a report from the Building Talent Foundation, over 40% of the construction workforce is expected to retire by 2031, while the median age of construction workers is 43. At the same time, younger workers are not entering the trades at a pace needed to replace those leaving. Estimates suggest that for every five tradespeople who retire, just two enter the trades.
Below are just five examples of builder programs designed to offer networking opportunities, provide visibility into a variety of roles, and deliver real-world experience to prepare the younger generation for careers in the home building business.
Taylor Morrison
Taylor Morrison, the No. 6 company on the Builder 100 list, offers an annual internship program to provide students with opportunities in construction, land, operations, purchasing, architecture, sales, human resources, marketing, and finance. In its fourth year, the program welcomes students in their junior and senior years at universities, community colleges, and trade schools.
Taylor Morrison’s summer interns are paired with mentors in the organization to provide hands-on experience and professional development. Interns complete a capstone project following their eight-week, full-time internship to demonstrate learnings and real-world experiences.
“The home building industry has faced workforce challenges, particularly ongoing skilled labor shortages felt by our trade partners, and we believe that building a sustainable talent pipeline across all job functions begins with a robust internship program,” Taylor Morrison chairman and CEO Sheryl Palmer said.
Over the past three years, the program has converted 18% of its interns to full-time employees, of which 60% were hired into construction roles.
DRB Group
Courtesy DRB Group
DRB Group executives speaking during the builder's two-day 2026 intern summit.
DRB Group’s summer internship program includes opportunities for students in several organizational departments, including finance, legal, strategic research, sales, marketing, production, land, and purchasing. After interns complete their summer program, the company’s division nominate interns for the opportunity to participate in its intern summit at DRB’s headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
“We transport interns to our Maryland headquarters, put them up in a hotel, and take them out to team build,” Char Kurihara, senior vice president of sales and marketing for DRB Group, tells Builder. “This is an amazing finale to their summer experience where they get to showcase themselves amongst their peers and company leadership.”
The 2026 intern summit included more than 50 interns and participation from the organization’s C-suite and senior leaders. C-suite executives, corporate senior vice presidents, corporate directors, and regional and local leaders speak to interns and conduct Q&A sessions over the two-day summit. Additionally, interns present projects to company leadership on their summer experience as well as lessons learned with DRB Group.
Builders Alliance
Builders Alliance, in partnership with Project Destined, launched a workforce development program for Pasadena, California-area students with exposure to careers in real estate development and construction. The Builders Alliance was formed in response to the Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025 by home builders Brookfield Residential, Sekisui House U.S., Thomas James Homes, Homebound, and Christopherson Builders.
The Altadena High School Real Estate Training & Internship Program serves more than 40 high school students through four-week virtual training programs and culminated in a paid summer 2026 internship placement for the 10 top-performing participants. The first internship placements were hosted by Brookfield Residential, the No. 47 builder on the Builder 100 list.
“Participation in programs that connect students with real-world industry experience reflects the long-term commitment builders have to the communities they serve,” Adrian Foley, president and CEO of Brookfield Residential, said.
Project Destined’s curriculum introduces students to core concepts in real estate development, market analysis, valuation fundamentals, and construction management. Students who complete the program will have the opportunity to earn a certificate scholarship stipend based on final performance.
D.R. Horton
The nation’s largest builder hosts interns at its divisions across the country annually, offering opportunities to gain real-world experience across departments including production, sales, marketing, purchasing, and land.
Each year, interns begin the summer at D.R. Horton’s corporate office in Arlington, Texas, with a multiday orientation before joining their assigned divisions for a 12-week program designed around a rotational schedule to provide visibility for the entire organization. At the end of the program, interns are brought back to the corporate office for feedback sessions.
Lennar
Lennar’s Future Builders 10-week internship program provides students with the opportunity to learn about internal organizational operations in human resources, financial services, field management, and technology. The Future Builders program is designed for both recent college graduates and current college students, providing both full-time roles and internship experience.
Specifically, Lennar’s internship program is broken into three areas of focus: home building, corporate functions, and technology. Home building internships, offered to rising college seniors, run 10 weeks and span departments including construction, purchasing, land development, sales, and customer experience. Corporate functions interns learn about Lennar’s human resources and financial services operations during their 10-week programs while technology interns are immersed in 10-week programs focused on software engineering, data engineering, data analytics, technical analytics, business analytics, project analytics, security engineering, or security analytics.
