NAHB Student Chapters

NAHB Student Chapters

Background

Since 1971, the NAHB Student Chapters Program, with the support of local Home Builder Associations (HBAs), has been preparing students for their careers in the residential construction. Whether it’s a profession in the trades or in construction management, the program is a launch pad to our industry. With more than 150 chapters throughout the United States, over 140 local HBAs sponsor an NAHB Student Chapter. The NAHB Student Chapters program is connecting more than 2600 students to the industry through this endeavor. Local HBA sponsorship strengthens the ties between the local associations and their communities. It leads to greater publicity and community awareness of the HBAs’ activities and their purposes. More importantly, their sponsorship introduces young men and women to NAHB, their associations, and the home building industry.

What it is
The NAHB Student Chapters Program provides students in building-related fields such as construction management, engineering, architecture, real estate and the trades an opportunity to learn more about residential building through membership in the industry’s largest trade association. Chapters are located in universities, community colleges, high schools, and vocational/technical institutions across the country. Through this program, students are given first-hand exposure to the building industry and an invaluable complement to their academic studies.

How they do it
Local or state HBAs sponsor each student chapter. As a sponsor, the association serves as an invaluable information source for the chapters and may provide speakers, summer internships and job opportunities, scholarships and community projects. Each chapter elects officers to lead the chapter’s business meetings and organize the various activities. Individual chapters may establish their own dues structure to fund its many activities. National dues are only $10 per student. Each chapter also has a Faculty Advisor who serves as the liaison between the chapter, the local and state associations and NAHB. He or she guides the activities of the chapter.

Benefits
The top students in any academic discipline join pre-professional organizations like NAHB. Student members receive many of the same benefits that our builder members have access to.

Each student receives the following benefits:

Building Futures, the Student Chapter newsletter.
20% discount on NAHB publications.
$20 registration fee to The International Builders’ Show and The Remodelers’ Show.
Access to the NAHB Library.
The opportunity to compete for awards in the annual competitions.
One copy per 10 students of Builder magazine, and one copy of Professional Builder magazine each month.
Opportunity to receive scholarships through the National Housing Endowment.
Opportunity for the school and sponsoring HBA to participate in NAHB’s matching funds program.

More on HBA relationship
However, students receive more than just these tangible benefits. Membership provides an opportunity to network with builders and prepare for a career. The HBA is an essential part of the operations of any Student Chapter. The NAHB Board of Directors charters the Student Chapter through the local HBA. As the sponsor of a Student Chapter, the local association plays an important role in the educational and career development of students in construction.

The relationship between the local HBA and a Student Chapter varies a great deal from one chapter to another. In most instances the local HBA is very involved in the day-to-day operations of the Student Chapter. They may sponsor and financially support many of the Student Chapter’s activities.

Some local HBAs provide an ex-officio (non-elected, non-voting) position on its board of directors for the president of the Student Chapter and occasionally for the Faculty Advisor, both of whom should participate in the monthly meetings of the board. Participating in the monthly board meetings provides the Student Chapter president direct interaction with the governing body of the local association and lets the association know what the Student Chapter is doing.

The Student Chapter can often help with many of the activities of the HBA. Student Chapter members are normally invited to attend the monthly meetings and other member activities of the local association. In many instances, this involvement is the first step to grooming individuals into becoming members after they graduate. In short, the student members should be treated as any other member of the HBA.

The Student Chapter is a readily available source of people-power to assist at major association activities such as home and garden shows, conventions, and community service projects. The participation of students can benefit both the HBA and the students. While students gain valuable experience with the operations of the association, the association gains assistance in accomplishing certain tasks and develops a working relationship with the students.

Many Student Chapter activities should be coordinated with the HBA. Here’s a sample of what can be done to support a chapter:

Suggest builder and supplier-members a potential meeting or classroom speakers.
Provide information on what is going on in the industry.
Arrange field trips to construction project sites.
Invited students to association membership meetings and other events.
Develop a summer internship program with local builders.
Encourage builder involvement on educational advisory boards.
Provide scholarship monies.
Solicit contributions of tools, lab equipment or supplies.
Sponsor local job fairs.
Sponsor attendance to the International Builders’ Show.

Residential Construction Competition
The NAHB Residential Construction Competition is one of the highlights at the annual NAHB International Builders’ Show. The competition, held in conjunction with the NAHB convention, is an effort to give construction management and construction design students the opportunity to apply the skills learned in the classroom to a real construction project. In the Four Year Schools (university level) competition, students work on a management proposal for a real project by completing an estimate, schedule, cash flow forecast and other essential elements of the proposal. In the Two Year and Secondary Schools level, the students work on a real-life design problem. Students are given plans to a real home design, and are asked to make changes to it according to the customer’s needs. They may submit costs estimates, the new design, and materials requirements. All teams present the proposals and designs to a group of construction company executives who act as judges.

Last year, over thirty-five schools from across the United States traveled to Atlanta to participate in the competition. These students, along with their classmates, students from non-participating schools, and teachers, made up the student and faculty representation at the International Builders’ Show, a record number of 1200 total.

Sponsored by Centex Homes, the awards for this competition include a plaque to the top teams and cash prizes totaling over $6000.

Activities for schools

Visit construction sites (new or remodel).
Attend the International Builders' Show.
Attend local HBA meetings.
Participate in the CareerNet Job Fair.
Organize weekly/biweekly/monthly chapter meetings.
Build a homecoming float.
Participate in or sponsor campus restoration projects.
Sponsor college alumni events during homecoming.
Organize Football game tailgate parties.
Build a playhouse for a local community center or raffle it for a fund raiser.
Participate in Habit for Humanity projects.
Attend state homebuilders association convention.
Visit manufacturers’ plants.
Visit materials distributors.
Visit product testing labs.
Invite guest speakers from the industry (building, manufacturing, banking, real estate, architecture, etc.) to a chapter meeting.
Organize intramural sports teams.
Support your local HBA home show and other similar activities.
Help winterize or repair homes for elderly and underprivileged.
Participate in the Residential Construction Competition.
Attend conventions of related associations.
Sponsor a visit of an NAHB Senior Officer.
Sponsor campus-wide seminar on social issues related to housing.
Mentor younger students.
Participate in or organize career development programs for high school students and promote the home building industry (trades and professional occupations).
Organize tutoring groups.
Sponsor seminars on construction safety issues.
Sponsor seminars on new government (local, state and federal) regulations and codes.
Organize campus building rehabilitation project (e.g., installing handicap ramps).
Sponsor a bulletin board in your department’s office area (post construction-related information or academic issues).
Provide volunteers for non-construction-related campus or community activities (e.g., theater ushers, parade marshals, etc.).
Adopt a street to regularly clean up.