Resources for Career & Technical Education

What is TCA?

As the Tennessee Concrete Association, TCA leads the concrete industry in creating sustainable value for members and customers through Advocacy, Education and Market Development. We are committed to building up the future generation of our workforce by providing students with engaging opportunities and experiences. TCA is eager to connect with CTE educators so together we can teach students about the benefits of pursuing a career in concrete. 

Below you'll find a variety of resources and opportunities for your students. Please reach out to TCA's Executive Director, Alan Sparkman, at asparkman@tnconcrete.org for more information on these initiatives and projects.

Why work in concrete?

  • Educational and training opportunities available
  • The benefit of building things that last
  • Getting to work on new projects that stretch the limits of engineering
  • Concrete is not going anywhere: job security
  • Benefits for you and your family
Concrete is the second most consumed product on the planet, behind only water, making concrete critical to modern day life. The concrete industry offers incredible benefits and opportunities for your students, and TCA is thrilled to help empower them to #WorkInConcrete
Skate4Concrete

TCA is proud to be working with the Concrete Advancement Foundation to support their Skate4Concrete project.

Skate4Concrete is designed to bust the belief that a successful career can only be achieved by going to college. Skate4Concrete provides a place where it is easy to explore entry-level careers in concrete that set the stage where the skate community can craft their own career path. Skate4Concrete uses skateboarding to help teach students about the concrete industry and career paths. Students can explore how skateparks are built, why skateboarding relies on concrete and what a career in the industry could look like. Together, we can show students that a "day on the job" as a concrete professional could mean building an awesome skatepark!

To help bring concrete education and career opportunities into your classroom, we invite you to use this FREE CURRICULUM from Skate4Concrete. The curriculum uses project based learning to teach your students about the concrete industry by using math, earth science, engineering, teamwork, problem solving and more. Upon completing the curriculum, your students will also receive a CONCRETE CERTIFICATION to help them jumpstart their careers! 

Click here to enroll your students in this FREE opportunity!

Every teacher who signs up for Skate4Concrete for the first time will receive a FREE Mini Concrete Skatepark Kit for your students to make together! We can also provide teachers who sign up with a FREE PowerPoint that walks through the process of actually building a mini-skatepark. Just fill out this form once you've enrolled in the curriculum so we can send you your FREE Kit & PowerPoint!

Click here to learn more about Skate4Concrete

Click here to enroll in the FREE Skate4Concrete curriculum

Enrolled in the curriculum? Fill out this form so we can send you your FREE Kit & Power Point!

Click here for the S4C Competition Guidelines & Parameters 

TCA Members – learn more about how to sponsor a Skate4Concrete School here!


Essay Contest

TCA sponsors an annual High School Essay Contest for Tennessee, and your students are invited to participate!

All entries into TCA's Essay Contest are judged by a panel of industry personnel and TCA will award cash prizes to first, second & third place essays.

The TCA contest winners will have their essays published in the spring edition of Tennessee Concrete magazine. Applications for the 2024 High School Essay Contest are due on December 20th – you can find more details on the essay contest page, linked below.

Learn more about the Essay Contest here

Be Pro Be Proud TN

TCA is excited to be a Founding Partner of Tennessee's Be Pro Be Proud – an organization committed to engaging with the future workforce.

Be Pro Be Proud is a cutting-edge technical career initiative connecting students, parents and educators to skilled technical professions. Started in Arkansas, the program has proven to be a successful tool to enhance knowledge around these in-demand careers. TCA partnered with Be Pro Be Proud to bring this experience to Tennessee.

Be Pro Be Proud TN launched in the Fall of 2023, and since then students have had the opportunity to experience the concrete industry (among many others) firsthand. Be Pro Be Proud TN makes its way through our great state in its infamous truck, engaging students in hands on learning opportunities and workforce workshops. Students are able to learn more about skilled technical careers in their area and even experience what it's like to drive a concrete truck through a driving simulator!

Click here to request a Be Pro Be Proud TN Tour Stop at your school!


Best Mini Skatepark Awards

Every year, TCA holds a Design Awards for concrete professionals and companies. In 2024, we launched our first annual Best Mini Skatepark Awards category for CTE classes! When most people think about skateboarding, they don't think of concrete – but, the two actually go hand in hand! In fact, skateparks wouldn't be possible without concrete.

We are challenging CTE classes to build their own mini skateparks! Once you register for the free Skate4Concrete curriculum, you can fill out this form to receive your FREE Mini Skatepark Kit. Stay tuned for more details on the competition and deadline. 

Deliver Your Future

Concrete delivery professionals are the foundation of our communities and the backbone of the concrete industry. They go above and beyond their call of duty to provide the highest level of professionalism, skill and expertise possible to support a wide variety of projects. Now more than ever, our concrete delivery professionals are a highly valued asset not only to our growing industry, but to our communities.

The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association's Deliver Your Future program connects highly motivated job seekers to rewarding employment opportunities in the concrete industry.

Learn more about Deliver Your Future here