Developer Robert Harper recently announced the Harper Family Foundation’s $1 million contribution to Home Builders Institute (HBI), which operates the BuildStrong Academy of Orlando and offers tuition-free construction training programs.
The funds will be used to finance scholarships and workforce development programs that expand training opportunities for young people not just in Orlando, but all throughout Florida and across the country. HBI opened the BuildStrong Academy in June 2021 to provide construction training at no cost to beginner students, the National Association of Home Builders reports.
“Together, we must be doing all we can to provide training and education in the construction trades for young people in Florida,” said Harper.
“HBI’s most recent Construction Labor Market Report found a nationwide shortage of more than 2 million skilled construction workers,” said Brady, “To fill the gap requires the kind of commitment Robert Harper stands for every day.”
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