Home Depot expands its Path to Pro Skills Explorers programme, aiming to inspire 15 million young people aged 11 to 17 towards careers in trades such as carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work, amid growing labour shortages and shifting educational policies.
The Home Depot is widening its push into workforce development with a new free programme aimed at younger students, as retailers and educators increasingly look for ways to steer teenagers towards the skilled trades before they make decisions about college or full-time work. The company said the Path to Pro Skills Explorers curriculum will introduce children aged 11 to 17 to woodworking, plumbing, electrical work and construction safety, with the broader ambition of reaching 15 million introductions to skilled trades by 2032.
The programme is being delivered through the Home Depot Foundation and is built as a hands-on, modular curriculum that can be used in classrooms, at home or in community settings. According to the company’s announcement, the materials were developed with Scouting America and piloted with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, while the Path to Pro website says the lessons also include leadership and soft-skills content. The aim is not to train teenagers for immediate work, but to give them an early, practical sense of what different trade careers involve.
That distinction matters because, as the company notes, students who eventually choose a trade will still need further qualifications such as a certificate or apprenticeship. For families weighing those costs against the price of a traditional four-year degree, the timing of exposure can be important. The College Investor has pointed out that 529 education savings plans can now be used for certain career-training expenses, and federal policy has also begun to tilt more towards short-term job preparation, including the launch of Workforce Pell Grants for eligible programmes in July 2026.
Home Depot says the need is pressing. The company has cited Bureau of Labour Statistics projections showing 4.1 million skilled-trades jobs opening over the next decade, alongside its claim that only 6% of young people currently say they are interested in such work. Michael Rowe, Home Depot’s executive vice-president for Pro, said in the company’s release that “Closing the skilled labour gap starts long before someone applies for a job. We have to start by helping young people see what’s possible.” Home Depot said its earlier Path to Pro efforts, launched in 2018, have already introduced more than 700,000 people to trade careers, with more than 200,000 graduating from its skills programme and 70,000 earning certifications.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
