Pearson partners with Home Depot to promote trades

Pearson’s online public school program, Connections Academy, has teamed up with The Home Depot’s Path to Pro initiative to give high‑school students a clearer view of trade‑career options.

How the partnership will work

Connections Academy will link its students, families and recent graduates to the Path to Pro program, which offers on‑demand courses for six trade‑based occupations: electrical, drywall, paint, plumbing, HVAC and general construction. Eligible participants can create a free profile in the Path to Pro Network, upload a résumé and apply for more than 2,500 jobs. The network also connects users with millions of Home Depot Pro customers seeking skilled workers.

To date, more than 13,800 have joined the broader Path to Pro Network. This school year, Connections Academy plans to share the program with roughly 4,000 students and families, with an eye toward expanding the effort to all of its schools nationwide.

Why the trades matter

The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that the U.S. construction sector must fill almost 750,000 positions each year because of retirements, job changes and other turnover. Over the next ten years, the industry expects to add another 250,000 jobs, many of which offer family‑sustaining wages.

Providing early exposure to these roles could help close the talent gap. The partnership promises to introduce students to a range of rewarding trade careers, deliver the training they need, and connect them with contractors looking for new talent.

“At Pearson’s Connections Academy, we want to meet our students where they are, whether they want to attend college or go immediately into the labour market, as a growing number have told us that they would like to pursue alternative pathways and more direct routes to employment after high school,” said Casey Welch, Pearson Virtual Schools VP for Careers.

The initiative also features a tri‑credit model that awards high‑school credit, industry‑recognized micro‑credentials and eligibility for college credit toward more than 150 bachelor’s degree programs.

“The Home Depot’s Path to Pro program is a great fit because it is all about providing high school students early pathways to training and education in rewarding fields,” Welch added. “The connections and relationship building in the industry will be a win for those looking to enter the labor market – not to mention for the many professional contractors that need to find a new generation of talent.”

From a broader perspective, linking education directly to employer networks addresses a long‑standing mismatch between school curricula and real‑world job demands. By embedding trade skills into a formal learning environment, students gain tangible credentials while employers benefit from a pipeline of candidates already versed in the specific competencies they require.

The collaboration marks the first time a learning company has partnered with The Home Depot, and it is also the inaugural corporate employer alliance for Connections Academy’s expanded college and career readiness offerings.

Both parties see the effort as a way to diversify post‑secondary pathways and to ensure that the construction workforce can keep pace with projected growth.