BridgeYear/NKBA Partnership

BridgeYear and the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) have teamed up for a national career tour to expose students to skills-based education pathways and high-demand employment opportunities in the kitchen and bath industry.

From 2019-2022, the BridgeYear/NKBA Career Tour will reach students across 10 different metropolitan areas.

Proven Effectiveness

Our effective and engaging approach will be provided at no cost to you, ensuring your students will be better prepared for their futures.

Hands-on Experiences

Students will participate in interactive Career Test Drive® simulations across the kitchen and bath industry to determine personal fit and interests.

Postsecondary Opportunities

By sharing relevant workforce needs, we connect students to employment and education opportunities they can pursue after graduation.

Students are really not exposed to a lot of things outside of the scope of their own communities —especially when it comes to different industry sectors.
Craig Brockett
Clark County School District’s work-based learning administrator

Interested in having a BridgeYear/NKBA Career Tour come to your school district?

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Frequently Asked Questions

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is a trade group that promotes professionalism in the kitchen and bath industry. Established in 1963 as a network of kitchen dealers, it has evolved into the premier association of designers, retailers, remodelers, manufacturers, distributors, fabricators, installers and other industry professionals.

To learn more about NKBA, please visit www.nkba.org.

BridgeYear is a nonprofit organization founded to address the gap between high school and what’s next. We specifically work with students from underserved communities who might not have a plan after high school and introduce them to high-growth, high-demand career opportunities that pay living wages or above.

The following six, high-growth, high-demand careers will be featured: Installer, Electrician, Carpenter, Kitchen & Bath Designer, Plumber, Showroom Salesperson.

There is a workforce shortage in the kitchen and bath industry for a variety of reasons. 

  • 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 today, and every day, for the next 18 years. For every individual entering the industry, five are retiring, exacerbating our industry’s attrition rate. 
  • More than 1.5 million residential construction workers left the industry in 2008 when the Great Recession hit. Some changed careers and others simply retired. The industry has only recovered fewer than half of those jobs.

BridgeYear and NKBA are excited to expose students across the United States to the various opportunities in the kitchen and bath industry. We have strategically selected metropolitan areas due to their demographics, socioeconomics, labor shortage with jobs available and the willingness of the school district to embrace the program.

Our mission is to ensure all students of every background are aware of the vast opportunities they have in the kitchen and bath industry making living wages or above.

If you are interested in helping BridgeYear/NKBA get to your school or city, please contact us to get more information.

The BridgeYear/NKBA Career Tour has been designed for high school seniors.

The BridgeYear/NKBA Career Tour is focused on opportunities in design and construction. However, BridgeYear also works with other industry partners and has Career Test Drive® simulations in a variety of industries. Please visit the School District page for more information.