Who Gets to Build? Solutions to Unlock the Construction Workforce

Part 2: Solutions 

Solving the labor bottleneck in housing will require reimagining how we train, certify, and mobilize the construction workforce. Fortunately, innovative solutions are emerging across the country, from policy reforms to industry-led initiatives, that aim to make it easier to enter the trades without compromising quality or safety. 

One promising strategy is expanding youth apprenticeship programs. These initiatives blend classroom instruction with paid, on the job training, giving high school students a head start in trades careers. One standout example is Build UP, a former Ivory Prize winner based in Birmingham, Alabama.  Build UP equips low-income youth with career-ready skills through paid apprenticeships, while integrating  industry aligned secondary and post-secondary academic coursework, leading them to be educated, credentialed and empowered leaders, professionals, and homeowners. 

More broadly, the National Governors Association (NGA) has supported  states like Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, and Utah through its Policy Academy to Advance Youth Apprenticeship. These states are embedding youth apprenticeship into their broader workforce strategies, helping to fill labor gaps and create economic mobility for students who may not pursue traditional college pathways. 

States are also modernizing  licensing frameworks to increase mobility. Reforms like credential portability, skills-based testing, and universal licensing recognition can reduce friction for qualified workers moving across state lines. These changes allow talent to flow freely, especially into fast growing regions with urgent housing needs. 

Further public policy reforms, like aligning procurement and permitting incentives with workforce development goals and supporting firms that recruit and train from underrepresented or economically disconnected communities, can remove unnecessary barriers to entry and expand access to training. Together, these efforts help build a construction workforce that is not only larger, but also more inclusive and better positioned to meet demand wherever housing is needed. 

Ultimately, the path to housing affordability does not run solely through land use reform or building codes, it runs through the job site. If we want more housing, we have to solve the labor shortage. And that starts with making it easier to enter the trades.