The Home Depot Foundation has launched a new programme aimed at engaging 15 million young people in skilled trades through hands-on learning and early career exploration, as part of its broader effort to address workforce shortages in construction fields.
The Home Depot Foundation is widening its push into skilled trades education with a new programme aimed at reaching 15 million young people by 2032. Announced on 17 September, the initiative is built around “Path to Pro Skills Explorers”, a free, hands-on curriculum for students aged 11 to 17 that is meant to give middle and secondary school pupils an early look at construction careers.
According to the company, the programme was developed with Scouting America and tested with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. It offers ready-made lesson modules for teachers, parents and community mentors covering basic woodworking, plumbing, electrical work and painting, alongside material on leadership and other workplace skills. Educators will also receive facilitation guides and videos, while parents can use interactive project guides at home.
The effort expands a broader Path to Pro strategy that Home Depot says began in 2018 and has since grown nationwide. The foundation says the wider programme has already introduced more than 700,000 people to the skilled trades, certified more than 70,000 participants and awarded nearly 1,000 scholarships. It has also committed $50 million to address the labour shortage in construction and related fields.
Home Depot has increasingly framed the trades as a long-term career route rather than a fallback option, with free digital resources and scholarship support designed to make the sector more visible to students at an earlier age. The company’s latest move reflects a broader industry effort to attract the next generation of electricians, plumbers, carpenters and other tradespeople as employers continue to face persistent workforce gaps.
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