3 Key Benefits of Starting or Joining a Student Chapter
Summer is nearing its end, and for many, that means it's time to go back to school. This is a great opportunity for HBAs to create or re-establish student chapters at schools with skilled or vocational programs and colleges with construction management programs.
NAHB currently boasts more than 100 student chapters nationwide, including more than 160 faculty advisors and 4,500 student members. And there are several reasons why these chapters are growing in popularity, including:
- Student chapters are crucial to the growth of the next generation of home builders. HBAs have the chance to provide hands-on experience and share their depth of institutional knowledge with those who have a budding passion for residential construction.
- Student chapters provide a unique, open forum for students to engage with and learn from their peers as well as from industry professionals. This helps foster a sense of community and gives them opportunities to learn from real-world experience and team collaboration. Student members may visit construction sites, manufacturing plants and even participate in competitions.
- Members of student chapters have a competitive advantage when job hunting, as employers seek candidates with extracurricular activities beyond typical coursework. When seeking a full-time job, students also enjoy the added benefit of having already met or worked with some of the NAHB members in the area.
See which HBAs already have a student chapter, and learn how you can start a student chapter.
Latest from NAHBNow
During the Fall Leadership Meeting in Detroit, the State and Local Government Affairs Committee approved $47,000 through the State and Local Issues Fund to help HBAs reduce barriers to housing attainability.
For Maryland students and young adults deciding their next steps, the Frederick County Building Industry Association’s goal is to help them see how many different paths to success are available in residential construction.
Latest Economic News
Diversifying the construction labor force remains a key priority amid persistent skilled labor shortages. According to NAHB analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey, non-Hispanic White workers account for the majority of the construction industry at 55.8%. Hispanic workers now represent nearly one-third of the labor force at 32.8%, followed by non-Hispanic Black workers at 5% and non-Hispanic Asian workers at 1.8 %.
The total market share of non-site-built single-family homes (modular and panelized) was just 3% of single-family homes in 2025, according to NAHB analysis of completion data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC).
Single-family housing starts declined in September as builders faced higher financing, building material costs, and ongoing labor shortages.