HBI has partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps program for nearly 30 years, training and placing more than 2,000 young people annually in the residential construction industry. Students enrolled in Job Corps learn the construction skills they will need to pursue careers in home building. At the same time they build their lives, they also help meet the workforce needs of the housing industry where more than 200,000 new workers are needed each year.

Job Corps is the nation’s oldest and largest residential education and job training program for at-risk youth. Real-life, hands-on training helps young people acquire the three pieces of the employment puzzle: Trades Training, Basic Academics and Employability Skills (HBI, 2007).

Delaware Valley Job Corps and Home Builders Institute have created the Electrician's Helper Vocational Program, which has been in operation for over 15 years. The program prepares students for the industrial and commercial workplace in which students will learn:

• Electrical fundamentals.
• Fiber optics.
• Cabling.
• Commercial/Industrial Electrical Principles.
• Lighting Maintenance.

In addition to focusing on principle electrical skills, Job Corps students also focus on general employability and workplace skills such as counter skills, employer specific needs, communication skills, dependability, adaptability, and interpersonal skills.