This article originally appeared in the Tennessean.
Earlier this year, Tennessee Titans fans were excited to see the groundbreaking for the state of the art new Nissan Stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2027.
The new stadium will be a game-changing facility for the city of Nashville and larger Middle Tennessee region—one that will be capable of hosting Titans’ games, along with other sporting events, tournaments, concerts and community activities. Some estimates anticipate approximately $33 billion of economic impact from the project, from hotel and restaurant earnings to sales tax revenue.
The entire region has big plans for the stadium and the neighborhood that surrounds it — including a revitalized East Bank and dreams of hosting a Super Bowl — and it will take the ongoing dedication of construction workers and talented tradespeople to bring them to life. Tennessee Builders Alliance (TBA), the construction manager for the project, estimates that 1,600 workers per day will be onsite when construction is at its peak.
While not everyone can play for the Titans squad, there are opportunities to be a part of the team working to make this new stadium a reality. The workforce development effort for the project is creating educational and career opportunities for individuals in Middle Tennessee, and it can help ensure we have sufficient craftspeople and construction workers to build the future of our entire city.
Tennessee’s booming economy needs more construction workers
It’s no secret that Tennessee’s economy is booming, and people are moving here from all over the country to find work. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee recorded a 27.7% increase in construction employment from 2018 to 2023, leading the entire nation.
In addition to work on the new Titans stadium, Tennessee will need more than 315,000 additional construction workers over the next three years to meet our state’s infrastructure and business needs. This is compounded by the fact that, for every five tradespeople that will retire in coming years, only one apprentice is being trained to fill their spot.
The construction industry has evolved and modernized over the past 50 years. We’re building projects with more technology and increased efficiency, and these innovations have driven changes to a career in the trades.
In just the last four decades, the average price of tuition, fees and boarding for undergraduate degrees in the U.S. increased by 169%. All of this results in higher debt, which can be a years-long slog for students to dig out from under. But the trades offer excellent career paths without the requirement of expensive student loans.
Many rewarding careers in the trades include starting salaries of over $75,000 and great benefits — all without the cost and time commitment of a four-year degree. The trades also offer terrific career opportunities for high school graduates and adults looking for a career change.
Titans Construction Training Camp is a pathway to careers in the trades
Although some jobs in construction involve plenty of manual labor, the field has expanded for a new generation of tradespeople. Go Build Tennessee has a portion of its website dedicated to all the construction career paths available where anyone can learn about different careers, take a career quiz and find nearby training. Careers in the trades include electricians, brick masons, crane operators, equipment operators, iron workers, and even those operating drones and doing design-focused work.
Many of these careers are in high demand, with training that can be completed in less than a year. Others offer on-the-job training with a paycheck starting on day one.
The Titans and TBA have partnered with the stadium’s construction companies to launch Titans Construction Training Camp for those interested in being apprentices in the trades. Targeting adults and recent high school graduates, the program offers industry certifications and connects them with trade partners. Partnerships like this give interested individuals a chance to change their lives through a rewarding career while also helping to make other critical projects in our community possible.
The success and innovation within construction is welcome news for Tennessee parents, students and career changers who want a successful and rewarding career without sky-high college costs. And its great news for the next generation of Titans fans who will cheer on our team in a stadium that helped create the next era of construction workers.
Steve Van De Voorde of Van De Voorde Electric, LLC serves as the board chair of the nonprofit Go Build Tennessee. Beth Duffield is the Workforce Development Manager for Tennessee Builders Alliance.