Preservation Trades Initiative

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The Arizona Preservation Foundation, the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, interested educators, and local preservation organizations across Arizona and the Desert Southwest share a common goal: to establish a coordinated preservation trades initiative that strengthens workforce development while protecting historic places.

 

The initiative focuses on expanding careers in the historic trades – the specialized skills needed to maintain, preserve, rehabilitate, restore, reconstruct, and responsibly deconstruct historic buildings and cultural landscapes.

 

Purpose and Vision

 

Arizona faces a growing shortage of skilled preservation trades workers as experienced craftspeople retire and demand for rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, and housing reinvestment increases. This effort seeks to create a coordinated framework that:

 

• Connects education, training, and employment pathways

• Creates accessible entry points for students, career changers, and volunteers

• Preserves traditional building knowledge

• Supports local economies through skilled trades careers tied to community heritage

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Program Components

 

The initiative would function as a central hub linking key stakeholders who share a common goal of strengthening preservation trades training and careers:

 

• Partners: public agencies, nonprofits, tribal and community organizations collaborating on projects and programs

• Educators and Trainers: colleges, apprenticeship programs, training providers, and interested educators committed to advancing preservation trades education and curriculum development

• Employers: contractors, trades associations, and unions helping shape training standards and hire apprentices

• Funders: foundations, businesses, and donors supporting outreach and program delivery

• Ambassadors: advocates promoting preservation trades careers, public awareness, and supportive policy

 

Training Pathways and Collaboration

 

Rather than creating programs from scratch, Arizona partners aim to connect residents to successful national models, including immersive field training, preservation degree programs, corps-based workforce initiatives, volunteer training opportunities, and hands-on programs such as HOPE Crew (who have traveled to Arizona several times in the past).

 

This initiative will be developed in partnership with other regional and national preservation trades efforts, aligning Arizona with broader workforce development networks and sharing best practices, resources, and opportunities across the country.

 

Regional Impact

 

A formal preservation trades initiative would:

 

• Address workforce shortages in specialized building trades

• Support housing rehabilitation and adaptive reuse

• Create durable, skilled career pathways

• Preserve the region’s diverse cultural heritage

• Advance sustainability through repair, maintenance, and reuse

 

Resources for You

 

• Arizona Preservation Foundation Historic Preservation Resource Guide

• Faith and John Gaw Meem Preservation Trades Internship

• National Trust for Historic Preservation Historic Trades Webpage

• PreserveList Directory of Historic Trades Professionals and Companies

• The Campaign for Historic Trades​

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As the initiative moves toward formalization, partners will continue sharing preservation trades resources from across the United States, helping communities engage now while building a long-term regional system to train workers and sustain historic places for future generations. If you have questions, would like to help, or have news to share, get in touch with us!​