Home Depot Foundation Expands Path to Pro Skilled Trades Initiative

The Home Depot Foundation’s Path to Pro initiative is positioning the company as a significant player in addressing the skilled-trades shortage by combining training, outreach, and hiring connections. The program offers free on-demand coursework aimed at entry-level trades skills through Path to Pro Skills, and links trained candidates with work opportunities through the Path to Pro Network, an online labor marketplace that connects talent with Pro customers and contractors.

Launched and scaled since 2018, the program reports that it has introduced more than 245,000 people to skilled trades and delivered training to more than 43,000 participants. The foundation also targets outreach to youth, underserved communities, and members of the military transitioning to civilian life, with the stated goal of expanding the overall pipeline into construction and related fields.

For workers and Home Depot associates, the program creates a pathway to acquire basic trade competencies without upfront costs, improving prospects for entry-level employment or advancement. The network component aims to reduce friction between training and hiring by enabling contractors and Pro customers to identify candidates who have completed Path to Pro Skills coursework. That alignment could shorten recruiting cycles for contractors and present more direct hiring opportunities for trainees.

The program’s structure matters to store-level employees as well. Associates interested in upskilling can access on-demand modules to build credentials that are increasingly valued by local contractors and Pro customers. For Home Depot, cultivating a larger pool of trained talent supports the company’s service offerings to professional customers while contributing to community workforce development goals.

Path to Pro also addresses equity and veteran-transition concerns by focusing outreach on groups that face barriers to entering skilled trades. By pairing training with an employment marketplace, the foundation aims to move participants from learning to paid work, rather than leaving them with standalone certificates. The initiative complements other industry efforts to fill labor gaps and could influence how retailers, contractors, and local workforce agencies coordinate talent development.

Jobseekers, veterans, community organizations, and Home Depot associates can find training resources and enroll through the program portal at PathToPro.com, which includes program sign-up and links to on-demand coursework and network registration. As workforce demand for skilled trades persists, the Foundation’s program is an expanding avenue for workers seeking practical, low-cost routes into trade careers.