HBCU colleges throughout the country and there is a large focus on STEM among other majors. This again was an opportunity to engage an underrepresented demographic in our industry and combine this with a need to expand awareness. We met Our 1st cohort of students in September 2023. During a 3 day experience our goal was twofold: 1. To share information so students can go back to their campus and either engage or start a student chapter 2. To bring awareness to our industry by sharing some of the incredible career opportunities within residential construction. Within 6 months of engaging our 1st cohort of ultra impressive students not only did they go back to their campuses engage/start student chapters, but there was an excitement about our industry! Here are some stats to consider: 86% of the students from our 1st cohort attended their first IBS in Feb 2024 From 2023-2024 we tripled the amount of HBCU student chapters From 2023-2024 we had 6x the amount of diverse students attend IBS for the first time! Two HBCU schools - Tuskegee University and North Carolina A&T University won the awards for Outstanding Student Chapter (1st Place and 3rd place respectively) I have personally been so thankful to be a part of this effort which has consisted of many of my Andersen colleagues helping both in front and behind the scenes. It has been an incredible highlight to work with Greg Zick, Director of Workforce Development (NAHB) and his incredible team. And last but certainly not least, Dr Charner Rogers and Myles Cardenas, Chair and Vice-Chair of Student Chapters Advisory Board(NAHB) I am so proud to represent a company that not only understands this need, but is willing to put resources behind it. In September we will host our 2nd cohort of students in Washington DC. My ask is this, if you are as passionate about the need to bring in new talent in our industry as I am, or if you are interested in adding resources to this initiative, please reach out to me. We can go further faster when we are working together! Please check out this video of some of our interaction with the first cohort. Special thanks to 84 Lumber for all their support from the start!
HBCUs WITH RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS GET THE SPOTLIGHT! Andersen Windows and Doors Teams Up with NAHB to Grow Talent!
Submitted by Tammy Murray, Andersen Windows & Doors LI tammy-murray-1a6139a Most of us reading this article began our journey in our careers either on purpose or by accident. Some planned
to be in this industry, some businesses were passed down from generations before us, some married into it, and some people stumbled upon the industry and had no idea the of the importance and complexity of what we do and what a crucial part of the economic pie we are. I was in the latter and continue to learn more each day. It is a daily conversation to have someone share that they have been a part of this industry for 20, 30, 40 years or more. There is comfort, confidence and pride in that statement of touching so many projects that helped to create the American dream. On the flip side, I have heard just as many proudly proclaim, it’s time to retire, spend more time on the golf course and enjoy the rest of life, which is a gift. For many decades, our push for the youth has been go to college and pick a career, and not necessarily advocating for our industry. We are now at a crossroads. Data shows that we are at both a deficit for both industry labor and home inventory. The need to accelerate at an astronomical pace is upon us. This is an opportunity as much as a need. NAHB has historically had a workforce development focus, but the opportunity for engagement hyper focused on diverse talent is more recent. In 2023, Andersen sponsored NAHB’s brand new initiative to focus on students with residential construction studies that attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities. (HBCU) NAHB selected 11 HBCU’s with residential construction studies and invited the students to Washington, DC to present this new program. For those that are unfamiliar, HBCU’s began in the 1900’s as a way to offer higher education to Black students during segregation. Currently, there are 105
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