With the Tennessee Titans’ new $2.1 billion stadium roughly a year from opening, a workforce initiative connected to the build is quietly strengthening Nashville’s construction labor pipeline.
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The Tennessee Builders Alliance — the joint venture delivering the project — has launched more than 100 new workers into the industry through its Titans Construction Training Camp, known as TC2. The stadium is scheduled to open in 2027 and represents one of the largest sports construction projects currently underway in the U.S.
Sean Kilcrease, 24, is one of the program’s success stories. A Nashville native, Kilcrease now works as a quality control inspector for Baker Construction, which describes itself as the nation’s largest concrete contractor. He started on the project as a laborer and was promoted to the QC team within six months.
Before entering construction, Kilcrease worked at Starbucks and had not seriously considered a career in the trades.
“My fiancee, she put me on to construction. She had her connections, and she thought I should try out the class.”
That class was TC2 — a five-week workforce development initiative designed to take participants with little to no experience and prepare them for roles on the high-profile stadium jobsite.
The program is administered by the Tennessee Builders Alliance, a joint venture comprised of Turner Construction, AECOM Hunt, Polk & Associates Construction and ICF Builders & Consultants.
TC2 uses the National Center for Construction Education & Research’s Craft Labor curriculum and exposes participants to multiple trades, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, drywall and painting.
Participants must meet several baseline requirements. They must reside in Northern Middle Tennessee, hold a high school diploma or equivalency and pass both a drug screening and basic skills assessment.
The program offers industry-recognized certifications, including OSHA 30. Initially, the training only provided OSHA 10 certification, but the team expanded its offerings in response to trade partner feedback.
“We have such a great collaboration with our trade partners on the site, they’re really seeing the value of these individuals coming through the program,” said Jessica Begin, community and citizenship specialist for Turner.
To date, nine cohorts totaling 112 graduates have completed the training. The ninth cohort graduated Feb. 13, and applications remain open through 2026.
About 60 trade partners actively engage with TC2 participants, offering mentorship, site exposure and a mid-program job fair where trainees can connect directly with potential employers.
“The exposure that these individuals get to the different opportunities that they have is very life changing,” Begin said.
The program arrives at a critical moment for the construction industry. Contractors nationwide continue to face labor shortages driven by retirements and sustained project demand.
Herbert Brown, community and citizenship director for Turner, emphasized the long-term workforce development focus behind the initiative.
“TBA, and more specifically, Turner, we take workforce development very seriously and just engaging in that space, because we know that [in] our industry, a lot of individuals are retiring and aging now, so it’s really important for us to help train, develop, provide resources and support to that next generation,” Brown said.
Industry data underscores the urgency. The construction sector is projected to need hundreds of thousands of additional workers this year alone to keep pace with demand. Without expanded training pathways, project schedules and costs could face mounting pressure.
Programs like TC2 are beginning to show measurable results. Of the 112 graduates so far, 78% have received job offers in the Nashville construction industry following completion.
Beyond filling immediate labor gaps, the initiative aims to create long-term career pathways. Participants gain exposure to multiple trades before selecting a focus, often shifting interests after seeing firsthand what each craft entails.
For Kilcrease, the opportunity has reshaped his professional trajectory. Now working on one of the region’s marquee builds at Nissan Stadium, he sees a future in construction — even if he supports the Dallas Cowboys.
While TC2 is tied to the Titans’ stadium, its impact could extend well beyond the project’s 2027 completion date. Graduates are not limited to the stadium site; they are entering the broader Middle Tennessee construction workforce.
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Large, high-profile builds often present rare opportunities to pilot workforce development strategies. By embedding training directly into a megaproject, the Tennessee Builders Alliance has created a model that other owners and contractors may replicate.
As the industry grapples with demographic shifts, infrastructure expansion and growing demand for skilled trades, localized training pipelines like TC2 may become an increasingly common feature of major construction undertakings.
For Nashville, the program is not just building a stadium — it is building a workforce designed to support the region’s next generation of growth.
Originally reported by Matthew Thibault, Reporter in Construction Dive.
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