The Daily Dig
The Lowe's Foundation launched the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition on September 1, 2026. The goal is training and developing one million people for skilled trades careers by 2035.
The coalition brings together more than 75 educators, businesses, workforce organizations, and industry vendors. Seven corporate leaders are named alongside the foundation: NVIDIA, AT&T, Bank of America, Carrier, General Motors, DEWALT, and Duke Energy.
The timing isn't subtle. An estimated 2.1 million skilled trades jobs could go unfilled by 2030, according to the Department of Education. The source ties that gap to potential economic losses of up to $1 trillion annually.
Groundwork Already Poured
This isn't a cold start. The coalition builds on the foundation's Gable Grants program, launched in 2023. That program now spans 73 community colleges and nonprofits across 30 states.
That track record led the foundation to commit $250 million toward training 250,000 tradespeople by 2035. That existing mission helped shape the foundation for this broader coalition effort.
The coalition lays out three jobs for itself. Reshape how people view trades careers against the college first narrative. Connect and scale training programs that already work. Build shared metrics to track whether training actually turns into employment.
Lowe's chairman and CEO Marvin Ellison framed the stakes directly: "The next industrial revolution won't be built by algorithms alone. It will be built by the millions of skilled trade professionals who power, connect and move this country forward."
AT&T's John Stankey tied the effort to infrastructure demand, noting that broadband networks "can't be built or maintained without skilled workers." NAHB president and CEO Jim Tobin called a skilled, capable workforce "critical to meeting our nation's housing needs."
Founding members beyond the seven corporate leaders include NAHB, NCCER, SkillsUSA, and Carhartt. The coalition says more members and progress updates are coming as implementation broadens.
Snapshot:
Coalition Name: Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition
Launched By: Lowe's Foundation
Launch Date: September 1, 2026
Goal: Train and develop 1 million people for skilled trades careers by 2035
Founding Members: 75+ educators, businesses, workforce organizations, industry vendors and stakeholders
Corporate Leaders: NVIDIA, AT&T, Bank of America, Carrier, General Motors, DEWALT, Duke Energy
Other Founding Members: National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), SkillsUSA, Carhartt
Estimated Job Gap: 2.1 million unfilled skilled trades jobs by 2030 (per Dept. of Education, as cited by Lowe's)
Projected Economic Impact: Up to $1 trillion in annual losses
Related Program: Gable Grants (launched 2023)
Gable Grants Network: 73 community colleges and nonprofits across 30 states
Related Investment: $250 million to train 250,000 tradespeople by 2035
Coalition Sectors Referenced: Construction, automotive manufacturing, telecommunications, energy, HVAC, technology, financial services
TheJobWalk Thoughts
Seventy-five founding members is a lot of names on one release, but the mix matters more than the count. AT&T and Duke Energy aren't construction companies, and Lowe's is explicit that this shortage extends across industries. That means more capital and training capacity are entering the same pipelines contractors already draw from, not competing pipelines built separately.
For subs and suppliers, the piece worth tracking is the shared measurement goal. The coalition says it will track outcomes from training all the way to employment, not just enrollment numbers. If that data actually materializes, it gives hiring managers something more useful than another headcount pledge to work with.
A 2035 target is a long horizon by design. It likely won't move labor supply in the next year or two, though coalition programs already in motion, like Gable Grants, could produce nearer term hires worth watching.
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