Forum brings together experts to discuss housing construction workforce issues

May 18, 2026
| Posted in
Economy & Housing
The panel moderator, six panelists, and one of the introductory speakers stand against a mahogony wall, smiling.

Topics included practical, Kansas City-focused strategies to expand the construction workforce, strengthen training and career pathways to better align talent with industry demand. 

On May 1, 2026, the Regional Housing Partnership Housing Construction Workforce forum brought together partners and stakeholders to discuss construction workforce issues.

Geoff Jolley, executive director of LISC Greater Kansas City, opened the event with a welcome.

If we can put together the right pieces, we can build a puzzle to help with housing."

Geoff Jolley, Executive director, LISC Greater Kansas City

He listed some of the issues this forum gathered to talk about solving, such as the number of those working in skilled trades retiring compared to the number coming into the industry. The need is bigger than the supply, and the housing construction workforce is competing for supply with other industries pulling from the same pipeline.

Nate Zier, executive director of NICE, gave a brief keynote further highlighting the issues.

“Workforce development is about creating a system where people want to stay. How do we scale what’s already working in Kansas City?”

Panelists included:

Some common strategies identified during the discussion included:

  • Starting outreach efforts to the next generation earlier by engaging and educating parents and providing opportunities for middle and high schoolers to learn about and participate in the housing construction trades.
  • Creating clear, connected pathways for those interested in housing construction to obtain quality training, enter the workforce and engage in professional development and training opportunities throughout their career.
  • Changing the narrative around the housing construction profession. 
  • Partnering with local government to identify and reduce policy and process barriers to housing construction at the local level.

The panel also stressed the importance of seeing potential housing construction workers as people first. Thinking carefully about capacity versus commitment and the resources of training organizations are some of the ways we can achieve the best outcomes for the housing construction workforce pipeline.

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