3 minute read
Building Industry Technology Academy (BITA
Jill Herman
BITA Program Director
The Building Industry Technology Academy (BITA) is a program of the California Homebuilding Foundation (CHF) whose mission is to cultivate a sustainable industry workforce by educating and inspiring high school students to pursue a career in construction.
The Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIASC) joins CHF in recognizing the need for a well-trained employment pool to meet the demand of home production. The BIASC and its in-house chapters have engaged their members in support of BITA through various fundraisers, competitions, expansion efforts, field trips, career fairs and most recently, a workforce development committee to host internships for students and transitioning graduates.
In 2019, the BIA Orange County Chair, Rick Wood from Wood Consulting and Colin Koch from Brookfield Homes formed a coalition of builders and their trade organizations to increase and sustain the next generation of workforce leadership by creating an industry-focused internship program.
The SoCal BITA Alliance, in collaboration with the BIA SC Orange County chapter, raised $62,000 for BITA summer internships throughout 2019 with the intention of accommodating 20 paid internships for high school juniors on active jobsites throughout Orange County in the summer of 2020. Recruitment efforts for these internships, kicked-off in March of 2020, by handing out application packets to junior students from 8 of the local BITA schools at a successful meet-the-builder event designed to highlight trades in the industry. However, after careful consideration, the summer internship was postponed knowing the quality of the experience would have been significantly impacted by the social distancing requirements in the workplace due to the coronavirus pandemic.
And while 2021 will still be a year of many unknowns, the Alliance is excited to meet with school district partners this spring to discuss ideas for safe programing (mentorships, virtual speaker series etc.) that can be done over the next few months to gear-up for the 2022 summer internship program.
Work-based learning experiences are one of the best ways for young adults to become familiar with the skilled trades. Such experiences can generate motivation for students to continue into the trades after graduation.
Companies can use summer internships as a pipeline for recruiting graduates, while young people benefit from the real-life work experience. Now is a crucial time to recruit the next generation of homebuilders, as more than one in six young workers have stopped working due to the pandemic.
To join the SoCal BITA Alliance by contributing to its mission or providing employment and internship opportunities for BITA students, please contact Jill Herman at jherman@mychf.org
CHF and the BIA SC would like to thank the dedicated sponsors and members of the SoCal BITA Alliance: Sponsors: Brookfield Residential, TriPointe Homes, K.Hovnanian, Taylor Morrison, Murrow CM. Members: BIA Orange County, Boudreau Pipeline, Brookfield Residential, C & R Systems, Circle M. Contractors, Coastline ROP, HY-Lang Electric. Inland Empire Framing, Lennar, FCL Builders, North Orange County ROP, 20/20 Plumbing, Schamber Electric, Shea Homes, The New Home Company, TriPointe Homes
About the California Homebuilding Foundation:
The California Homebuilding Foundation’s mission is to advance the homebuilding industry in California through scholarships, research, education and professional recognition. If you want to help a BITA student, go to mychf.org to make a donation to the program. CHF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1978.
Jill Herman, BITA Program Director, manages and oversees CHF’s BITA program, which includes expanding the curriculum to campuses statewide, coordinating events to raise awareness for the program, and facilitates interaction with program sites and local industry. She may be reached at jherman@mychf.org
