Houzz Inc., the leading platform for home remodeling and design, today introduced a new category for skilled construction trades within Houzz Scholarships, a program that supports students working towards a degree associated with the residential construction and design industry.
The new scholarship category is open to students pursuing trade certifications or Associate of Science degrees through vocational or community college programs who plan to focus on residential construction and remodeling work professionally. Students of architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and construction management are also eligible for Houzz Scholarships.
As noted by the annual Houzz U.S. State of the Industry Study, over a third of construction and design businesses expect labor availability to worsen in 2019, consistent with the tight labor market conditions of the last four years. Through the ‘Skilled Trades Residential Construction Scholarship,’ Houzz aims to help bridge the shortage of skilled trade professionals in the sector.
“Skilled trade professionals are vital to a healthy residential construction industry, so our communal challenge and opportunity is to attract and train the next generation,” said Liza Hausman, VP Industry Marketing at Houzz. “This new scholarship is designed to support aspiring painters, electricians, plumbers, carpenters and other skilled professionals, as they pursue their education. We look forward to learning about these applicants and how they plan to impact our industry.”
Houzz awards five $2,500 scholarships in the categories of ‘Women in Architecture’, ‘Residential Design’, ‘Sustainable Residential Design’, ‘Residential Construction Management’ and now, ‘Skilled Residential Construction Trades’. Scholarships are awarded biannually in the spring and fall, with applications for spring 2020 now open.
Fall 2019 winners are:
Women in Architecture: Madeleine Gillette (studying architecture at the University of Kansas)
Residential Design: Oscar Caballero (studying architecture at Columbia University)
Sustainable Residential Design: Hugh Sanchez (studying architecture at The New School)
Residential Construction Management: Ala Mosin (studying construction management at Texas A&M University)
Learn more about the Houzz Scholarship program and apply at www.houzz.com/scholarships. The deadline for spring 2020 scholarship entries is Dec. 31, 2019.
