HB NEXT is committed to workforce development and has been instrumental in helping to train skilled workers in local communities. In 2015, the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) presented CEFGA and HB NEXT with a Workforce Development Award for the Construction Ready Training Program.

The HB NEXT Construction Training Program

The CEFGA / HB NEXT Construction Ready Program was created through a partnership of stakeholders, including government agencies, philanthropy advocates, construction companies. This partnership created several training centers in Metropolitan Atlanta in the summer of 2014. The training offers a boot camp style, fast-paced, construction training program based on the NCCER Core Curriculum and other key industry credentials. Local residents are assessed to determine fitness for the program (literacy level, career aptitude, drug screen, background check, motivation/attitude) and are trained over the course of 20 days. They earn industry credentials and, upon graduation, are placed in a full-time job with a local construction company. They are tracked over the next year to determine retention, advancement, and successful fit for both the graduate and the employers.