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Building Blocks

Education & Certification

Overview

Education is vital to growing the market for concrete and training is vital to attract as well as retain a quality workforce. Certifications are a crucial part of keeping our current workforce up to date and they are an important part of attracting and retaining our concrete industry workforce. TCA is very active in both. TCA is the statewide Local Sponsoring Group for both NRMCA and ACI.

ACI Certifications and Review Classes

2024 was a robust year for ACI certifications, with TCA maintaining near-record levels of both sessions and attendees. We offered 14 different Certification and Review sessions in 2024, hosting 144 exam and review sessions, and serving 949 examinees. Sessions were held across Tennessee, with certification sessions taking place every month of the year. Tennessee is one of the leading Local Sponsoring Groups for ACI by number of certifications offered annually. 

NRMCA Training and Certification

  • Certified Concrete Sales Professional (all four modules) – 43 students attended TCA’s CCSP classes in 2024. Tennessee has consistently offered the full CCSP class in our state for over 20 years.

  • NRMCA Volumetric Operator Certifications was offered twice in 2024 with a total of 25 people attending and taking the exam

  • NRMCA Pervious Installer Certification was offered twice, plus a separate Performance exam session, with 9 people taking the written exam and 5 people taking the performance exam. The Pervious Installer exam session at the 2024 World of Concrete had an additional 20 examinees.

TCA Training & Development

  • We launched the Institute for Concrete Leadership in 2024. Participants in the inaugural cohort participated in both in-person and virtual sessions in 2024 and shared overwhelmingly positive feedback, noting how the program provided critical insights into workforce development, changing generational needs, and personal leadership growth. By creating a space for honest reflection and collaboration, ICL has equipped rising leaders with the tools to navigate the challenges and opportunities shaping the industry’s future.

  • Concrete Career Academy – TCA’s LMS platform that is a collaborative effort with the Kentucky Concrete Association and the Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Association. 2024 saw increased utilization of this online tool to help individuals prepare for ACI certification exams.

Seminars and Presentations

  • Coal Combustion Resource Group – bi-monthly calls with Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Department of Conservation, and Tennessee Department of Transportation to increase the beneficial use of fly ash at TVA plants across the state. A pilot project for beneficiated fly ash was initiated at TVA’s Cumberland City location. 

  • Co-hosted Webinar Wednesday’s in 2024 with partners Kentucky Concrete Association and the Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Association to cover a variety of industry topics.

  • Chattanooga Development Symposium

    • Two concrete sessions presented by TCA. 

  • Tennessee Building Officials Association

    • 3 hour seminar on Concrete Testing at TBOA Annual Conference. 

    • 4 hour seminar on Residential Concrete & ACI 322 for the Middle Tennessee Building Officials. 

  • Tennessee Public Works Institute

    • Two teaching presentations (2 hours each) for municipal employees from across Tennessee.

  • Knoxville and Nashville ICF Symposiums

    • TCA presented at each event, hosted by TCA member Tremco/Nudura. 

  • Exploring Nano-Silica Concrete Presentation and Demonstration Event

    • TCA hosted this event in collaboration with TCA members IMI and E5. Attendees heard from a panel of speakers and then attended a full-scale concrete placement demonstration utilizing several different mix designs, accompanied by testing and a finishing demonstration. 

  • Type 1L Cement Seminar and Panel Discussion, in person at TCA office. 

Trade Shows and Presentations

  • Exhibit and Sponsor for Tennessee Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects Annual Conference and Trade Show in Memphis.

  • Hawkins Partners Landscape Architecture Lunch and Learn

  • Tennessee Engineer’s Conference 

    • Registration Sponsor and Exhibitor – over 1000 attendees at this event.

    • Presentation – Improving Sustainability of Infrastructure with Green Public Procurement, with NRMCA’s Brian Killingsworth.

  • Institute for Career and Technical Educators

    • ​Exhibitor - focused on Skate 4 Concrete program and assistance to local high schools and school districts from the concrete community, with assistance from TCA member Baker Concrete Construction. 800 CTE educators from all across Tennessee attend this event each year. 

    • Also exhibited at the annual Tennessee School Counselors show to promote our high school programs, with nearly 1000 educators in attendance.

  • High School Career Fairs and Outreach

    • Participated in three individual high school events to represent concrete career opportunities to students.

    • TCA hosted a Day of Concrete for local instructors at Cane Ridge High School, including quarry tour, concrete plant tour, and concrete presentations.

    • See detailed information on TCA’s participation with Be Pro Be Proud TN as a Founding Council member, plus our work growing participation in Skate 4 Concrete and launching a new program for high school students called Concrete Quest.

University Partnerships

  • Vanderbilt University

    • Alan Sparkman spoke with several student teams working on concrete-related projects during both the Spring and Fall semesters in 2024. 

  • Vanderbilt Concrete Canoe Competition

    • Alan Sparkman aided with mix design questions for this year’s team.

  • MTSU

    • TCA was the first, AND ONLY, State Association to make a $50,000 pledge to the new building on the MTSU campus. 

    • TCA’s Tennessee Concrete magazine features a regular column on the MTSU CIM program.

  • Tennessee Technological University

    • Conducted ongoing research partnership with results published in the Tennessee Concrete magazine. Funded research titled: Reduction in Compressive Strength Test Results due to Above Specification Initial Concrete Cylinder Curing Temperatures. This research was completed in 2024 by graduate engineering students at TTU.

  • Tennessee Compliance Assistance Panel

    • TCA Executive Director Alan Sparkman serves as the Chair of this advisory panel that reviews and comments on proposed industry regulations. 

    • The CAP is working with TCA to create a formal training program for ready mix plants that can be used to meet the required annual training sessions required in both air and water general permits in Tennessee. This training will be debuted at the TCA 2025 Annual Convention.

Research

  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory

    • TCA participated in a coalition seeking research funding for a project titled: Limestone/Activated Clay/Calcium Sulfate Blends for Low Carbon Concrete (LACCS Concrete). In addition to TCA’s participation, TCA also recruited two TCA member companies to participate at the field trial stage of the research, if funded. The Department of Energy approved this proposal and the project will kick off in 2025.

  • TCA Carbonation Research Study

    • Funded by the Concrete Advancement Foundation, this study will look at carbonation rates of concrete specimens cast from two different mix designs using common materials in Middle Tennessee. One mix was a typical commercial 4000 psi (in 2024) and one mix was a low-embodied carbon 4000 psi mix (also 2024). Both mixes have been used in Middle Tennessee on commercial projects. Cylinders were taken from full loads of concrete for each mix, with the mixes then placed in slab and wall sections on the TCA Campus. Cylinders will be subjected to a variety of conditions including interior and exterior exposures, slab and wall exposures and with sealers applied or not applied. Carbonation readings will be taken at one year, two years, three years, five years and ten years to determine potential impacts on the rates of carbonation from these various conditions. Initial mixes were placed in April of 2024.

  • Tennessee Technological University - Reduction in Compressive Strength Test Results due to Above Specification Initial Concrete Cylinder Curing Temperatures 

    • This study was completed and study findings were published in Tennessee Concrete magazine in the Winter Edition of 2024 (available on the TCA website). The study included both compressive strength and surface resistivity tests under the various curing temperatures used in the study.

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