Workforce Updates – from the Tennessee Concrete Magazine
Joseph McDaniel – Workforce Coordinator, TCA
Skate4Concrete continues to be a great success with over 40 Tennessee schools incorporating the program. We estimate that we are reaching well over 1,000 students this year with this curriculum. TCA’s Mini Skatepark Competition is upon us! We are hosting the competition at Middle Tennessee State University’s Concrete Industry Management Program. We are on track to host 6 Tennessee schools representing 10 teams total, along with other industry pros attending the competition. Student teams will present their mini concrete skatepark creations and enjoy a tour of the CIM program during judging hour. We are excited to see who takes home the prize!
Concrete Quest, our gamification partnership with RocketStart, continues to see significant growth in the number of students signing up. There are currently 182 students enrolled in Concrete Quest, with more signing up every month. We have already awarded several students who have completed multiple levels in the game. Manny and I have been working to add more content to each level so students are encouraged to keep playing!
Driver Dash, another RocketStart partnership, is continuing to grow here in Tennessee with 6 TCA member companies now enrolled. Each month drivers are being awarded badges and points based on their performance on the job and top drivers are receiving gift cards and other rewards. The competition is heating up and any TCA Ready Mix producer can put up to five of their drivers in the Dash at no cost, so get your top 5 in the Dash now!
The BeProBeProud truck is on its third semester traveling to Tennessee high schools teaching students about opportunities in the trades by allowing them hands-on experience on state of the art construction simulators. Jason and Allison Lewis continue to do an amazing job operating the truck while simultaneously promoting the concrete industry through Concrete Quest. The truck has currently reached 64 Tennessee cities and approximately 17,000 visitors!
As always, we appreciate all your support and participation in these workforce initiatives. Please watch for emails about the Mini Skatepark Competition, Driver Dash Winners, bringing a concrete truck to a BPBP event, and more. Never stop telling your concrete story!