The Lowe’s Foundation has launched the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition. Considered the largest cross-sector skilled trades coalition in U.S. history, the coalition will help train and develop one million people for skilled trades careers by 2035.
The national alliance is backed by over 75 American educators, businesses, workforce organizations, industry vendors, and stakeholders across the skilled trades ecosystem, including corporate leaders NVIDIA, AT&T, Bank of America, Carrier, General Motors, DEWALT, and Duke Energy.
The Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition is backed by Lowe’s Foundation’s successful track record of scaling tangible solutions. Its Gable Grants program, which launched in 2023, surpassed initial performance metrics and is now an ecosystem of 73 community colleges and nonprofits growing innovative skilled trades training programs across 30 states. Initial results of the program led the foundation to recently expand its mission to train and develop 250,000 tradespeople by 2035 through a $250 million investment.
“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,” says Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s chairman and CEO. “For nearly four years, our foundation’s sole focus has been helping thousands of people enter the skilled trades by investing in America’s most innovative workforce training programs. Today through this coalition, we are answering the call from hundreds of existing partners to lead an even larger unified national effort that will redefine what’s possible when leaders from different sectors rally behind a common purpose.”
In addition to the seven corporate leaders, a cross-sector group of over 75 educators, businesses, workforce organizations, industry vendors, and stakeholders have joined the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition, including the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), SkillsUSA, and Carhartt.
“NAHB is proud to be a founding member of the Building Futures Skilled Trades coalition,” says Jim Tobin, president and CEO of the NAHB. “A skilled, capable workforce is critical to meeting our nation’s housing needs. Our collective commitment to invest in the next generation of skilled trade professionals will help strengthen the workforce pipeline, transform lives and build communities.”
From recruitment to career advancement, the coalition will strengthen every stage of the talent pipeline. Members will work together to shape the future of the skilled trades workforce and collectively amplify their impact with three primary goals:
- Change the perception of careers in the skilled trades by challenging outdated narratives that position college as the default path to success
- Invest, connect and scale proven training and credentialing solutions by bringing together educators, businesses, workforce organizations, corporate leaders, industry vendors and other stakeholders to address shared workforce challenges and expand what works.
- Collectively measure progress from training to employment by establishing shared measures that help the coalition understand what’s working, identify gaps, and track outcomes across the workforce ecosystem.
“Skilled trades professionals keep our world running. Carrier is committed to helping develop the workforce needed for the future through training, education, and partnerships,” says David Gitlin, chairman and CEO of Carrier. “We are proud to join the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition and support its efforts to strengthen America’s skilled trades workforce.”
Additional coalition members, commitments, and progress updates will be announced as the coalition begins broader implementation.
