Home Advisor Skilled Labor Shortage Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Home Advisor

Eligibility

Eligible students are planning to attend a community college, technical institute, or university during the 2019-2020 academic year to study anything from construction management, plumbing or carpentry to landscape architecture or interior design. There is no minimum SAT, ACT or GPA. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident.

Essay

Begin by reading the prompt and selecting a topic from below. Then, write your own 1,000 to 2,000-word essay. Essays will be evaluated for their creativity and originality, relevance to the topic, and overall quality. 

Prompt:

Imagine a world - just 30 short years from now - in which no one knows how to build a house or fix a leaky toilet.

America is facing a problem that could make that kind of situation a reality: High school and college students have stopped pursuing careers in important skilled labor trades like plumbing, carpentry, and heating and cooling. As a result, there is a shortage of younger workers with the knowledge and skills necessary to take the place of older, retiring workers. This means that there may soon be few people who know how to perform the work that keeps our homes and businesses in good working order!

Pick your topic:

A) How would you encourage your peers or others to pursue a career in construction or maintenance?

B) What do you think trade professionals or organizations could do to engage, train, and hire young talent in the trades?

C) What would you say to persuade parents, teachers, or others to educate young people about these job opportunities?