CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Inside a facility within the commercial building strip along Interstate 85 in north Charlotte, the students are focused.
The class is working to nail down their futures. Christal Partlow-Robbins is one of them.
“I always take opportunities when they are presented in front of me because you never know what’s going to unfold from it,” Partlow-Robbins said.
Earlier this year, she made a life-changing decision.
“I have my own cleaning business,” Partlow-Robbins shared. "I was cleaning banks and retirement villages. The contracts started getting funny. I was like, 'Wait a minute, there’s no stability in this at all.' When I heard, 'free opportunity, step out do something new,' I was all for it.”
That free opportunity is the Home Builders Institute’s BuildStrong Academy.
“It’s about making a difference,” Wendy Lyons shared. "It’s about changing lives. About helping people and helping our communities. Helping people feel good about themselves."
Lyons, the operations manager for HBI, said the academy opened its doors in March 2024.
The program is a combination of online and hands-on work. It allows students to get nine weeks of free training in carpentry and electrical work.
“The whole goal for us to be here is for our students to land industry-related employment,” Lyons stated.
A recent survey from Associated Builders and Contractors shows 58% of respondents reported a “severe” or “very severe” labor shortage within the construction industry.
The survey also notes the industry must hire half-a-million workers on top of their standard hiring pace to be fully staffed by the end of this year.
“Our main is, how do we create jobs for people by teaching a new skillset? Patrick Hamill explained. "A side benefit is it does benefit the housing industry."
Hamill, chairman of the BuildStrong Foundation, also said the goal is to expand and to one day create a million jobs within the industry.
“When we started this my long-term vision was, how do we create 20 academies?" he said. "Eventually get to where they’re producing 5,000 jobs in a year."
As for Partlow-Robbins, a recent graduate of the academy, she said she’s focused on the opportunities for herself and her son, who is entering the program in the fall.
“I want him to have the advantage, the heads up that he doesn’t have to clean another toilet or sweep another floor in his life unless he chooses to,” she mentioned.
She was a part of the first ever graduating class in charlotte.
Partlow-Robbins said the long-term goal is to go into business with her son.
Contact Nick Sturdivant at nsturdiva1@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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