Workforce Updates – from the Fall 2025 Tennessee Concrete Magazine

Working to Grow the Workforce of the Tennessee Concrete Industry

Joseph McDaniel – Workforce Coordinator, TCA

The Tennessee Concrete Association is continuing to have success with workforce initiatives designed to attract the next generation of professionals in the concrete industry. One of our most successful programs, “Skate4Concrete,” continues to see buy-in with over 50 schools incorporating it into their curriculums last year.

 S4C uses skateboarding to introduce students to concrete careers, showing them that a college degree is not the only path to success. Students can earn a “Concrete Certificate” upon completion, and can choose to compete in the Mini Concrete Skatepark Competition. Teams apply their knowledge in a Concrete Quiz Bowl and build their own mini concrete skateparks to present to a panel of industry judges.

This year’s competition was held in April at our very own Concrete Industry Management facility at MTSU. Students had a blast competing and received a tour of the CIM program and facilities. Treadwell Middle School (AKA: Half-pipe Kids) took home first place overall. As we ramp up again for this year, we continually seek the support of our members to provide kits and be a resource for high schools competing in your area. Please contact Joseph at jmcdaniel@tnconcrete.org to support a school near you.

Complementing Skate4Concrete is “Concrete Quest,” an interactive online game developed for high school students. This gamified learning experience allows students to explore the concrete industry with three engaging levels, each focusing on a specific section of the concrete industry. As students complete all of the levels, they earn a certificate, which can help them stand out to future employers.

Concrete Quest also offers incentives like gift cards and hats for completing levels, further encouraging participation and sparking interest in the career opportunities within the concrete industry. As of now, we have around 250 students signed up for CQ in Tennessee. Our goal is to keep them engaged and sharing it with friends. These initiatives, alongside partnerships like “Be Pro Be Proud TN,” demonstrate TCA’s commitment to building a skilled and sustainable workforce for Tennessee’s concrete industry.