Since the spring, two cohorts of Titans Construction Training Camp, or TC2, have been held, with 25 students completing the course. (Courtesy of the Tennessee Builders Alliance)
A Classroom at a Construction Site: TDLWD Trains Builders and Helps Them Find Jobs at New Nissan Stadium
By Karen Grigsby
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
It will be another three years before the first kickoff at the new Nissan Stadium, a project that will transform the East Bank of the Cumberland River in Nashville. But long before the Titans take the field at their new home, the massive construction project will transform thousands of lives in Middle Tennessee.
Titans Construction Training Camp, or TC2, is a 3.5-week program designed to teach and train builders. Participants earn $18 an hour while learning about workplace safety, construction math, and how to operate basic power and hand tools.
Four of the six students in the pilot cohort, held in April, are now helping build the stadium.
TC2 is just one of several workforce development efforts happening at the stadium site. The Tennessee Builders Alliance (TBA) and the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) have teamed up to offer training and career opportunities, all aimed at creating economic independence for Middle Tennesseans.
“The most important goal of the TBA workforce plan is to help Nashville families create generational change through economic independence. We know this begins with meaningful employment that leads to a career,” said Beth Duffield, Workforce Development Manager at TBA.
TBA is a joint venture of four local construction management companies: Turner Construction Co., AECOM Hunt, Polk & Associates Construction, and I.C.F. Builders & Consultants.
A ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime’ Project
Funded through a grant from TDLWD, Titans Construction Training Camp — along with other workforce development efforts at the stadium site — focuses on justice-involved individuals and others who may face barriers to employment. (TC2 applicants must complete a background check, but people with a conviction are still eligible to apply.)
In addition to earning $18 an hour for 100 hours of training, participants gain valuable skills that can set them on a path to a rewarding career. They also can earn three industry credentials and are guaranteed job interviews with TBA trade partners.
The program’s goal is for all participants to land a job immediately after completing the class.
“The Titans Foundation, along with TBA, believe this once-in-a-lifetime construction project can help our local community members find new career paths via the construction of the new Nissan Stadium,” Duffield said. “TC2 affords participants the opportunity to learn new, transferable skills that can be built upon through registered apprenticeships and future on-the-job work experience.”
TC2 participants are surrounded by support services to help ensure their success.
Through a partnership between TDLWD and Meharry Medical College’s Connecting Adults to Professions and Education (C.A.P.E.) program, students can receive individual assistance with construction-related math. Workforce Essentials’ ESL program is helping integrate safety training for participants who speak limited English. And the American Job Center is providing child care and transportation assistance to TC2 participants.
TC2 classes take place at the Workforce Development Center, located at the stadium construction site.
The center is part of a multi-trailer complex called Titans Town, which also includes construction offices and workspaces supporting TBA, the Tennessee Titans, and project partners.
The groundbreaking for the new Nissan Stadium was held in late February. When completed in 2027, the 1.8-million-square-foot stadium will seat 60,000 people and include a translucent roof.
Since the spring, two cohorts of TC2 have been held, with 25 students completing the course, said Marla Rye, president of Workforce Essentials and Executive Director of the Northern Middle Tennessee Workforce Board. The program aims to train 250 builders during the life of the project, with a 70% completion rate.
But the training doesn’t stop with TC2.
TBA has registered a two-year rough carpentry apprenticeship with Apprenticeship TN. Apprenticeships combine paid supervised on-the-job training with job-related education. TBA plans to add other apprenticeships throughout the stadium project.
The apprenticeship program is “a perfect career pathway for those wanting to move up in the construction field,” Rye said.
Other Workforce Development Efforts
In addition to TC2, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development is offering other recruitment and job placement services.
A Mobile American Job Center (MAJC) will be frequently parked at the stadium construction site to provide access to job search support. Equipped with 10 computer workstations and high-speed internet, the MAJC has traveled to multiple Titans events to recruit trainees.
TDLWD also has made it easier for employers to post — and for job seekers to find — TBA construction jobs. Job seekers can go to jobs4TN.gov, find the Individuals section and click the bottom link to “Search New Nissan Stadium Construction Jobs.”
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Deniece Thomas, fourth from left, presents a check for $389,312 to the Tennessee Builders Alliance at the new Nissan Stadium site July 15, 2024. (Courtesy of the Tennessee Builders Alliance)
TOSHA Consultative Services
With a project as massive as the new stadium — 19,000 workers will play a role during the three-year construction — safety is paramount.
In a first-of-its-kind partnership, TBA reached out to the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) to monitor the construction site’s safety program and to share best practices. TOSHA is a division of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
TOSHA’s Consultative Services unit works with businesses to identify hazards, implement and improve programs, and ultimately reduce injuries and illnesses. Consultative Services is separate from TOSHA’s regulatory arm; it does not issue fines, but it does require employers to correct identified hazards.
The services are voluntary and typically confidential.
However, TBA wants to show partner contractors and the public its commitment to safety, said Garrett Rea, Assistant Administrator for TOSHA.
“Any visibility or promotion of workplace safety is critical,” he said. “And a large … project such as this just increases this visibility.”
The partnership with TBA was “uncharted territory” for TOSHA and presented some policy challenges, Rea said.
Consultative Services needed to develop a partnership that still complied with established OSHA rules. The unit contacted workers with Kentucky’s OSHA consultation program, KYSafe State, who shared their documents and experience, helping TOSHA develop its first-ever partnership.
The unit will visit the stadium site once a quarter or when the project moves into a different phase, such as excavation.
“Safety is our top priority, and this partnership will help to ensure everyone goes home better than they arrived on our jobsite,” Tyler White, Environmental Safety and Health Director for TBA, said earlier this year.
From left: Tyler White, Tennessee Builders Alliance ESH Director; John Gromos, TBA Senior Vice President; Deniece Thomas, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner; Wendy Fisher, then-Assistant Commissioner of the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration; and Garrett Rea, TOSHA Assistant Administrator
How to Apply for Titans Construction Training Camp
Titans Construction Training Camp, or TC2, offers skills-based training to individuals interested in a career in construction.
TC2 classes will take place throughout the construction of the new Nissan Stadium. The application window for TC2 opens about six weeks before the start of a new class.
The next classes, which last 3.5 weeks each, are planned for August and October.
Participants must be eligible to work in Tennessee. A high school diploma or equivalent is not required to apply.
Learn more and apply at nashvillestadiumconstruction.com.
FOCUS is a publication of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.