Nashville, TN – May 5, 2025 – Ready to jump into a new career? TUCA of Middle TN and the Middle TN Workforce Development Academy are excited to announce that class registration is now open for their upcoming Equipment Operator and Civil Construction class, a fantastic Heavy Equipment Training Class opportunity. This comprehensive training will be held at the American Job Center in Gallatin, TN, with classes starting on June 2nd.
The Tennessee Utility Contractors Association of Middle Tennessee (TUCA) is the leading trade association working solely for the utility construction and excavation industry in Tennessee. TUCA of Middle Tennessee was formed in 2018 and today boasts 70 member companies representing more than 6,000 employees. The organization successfully created a spin-off 501 (c) (3) called the Middle TN Workforce Development Academy for the sole purpose of providing educational opportunities for K-12 and adult students to introduce and encourage them to enter the heavy equipment and utility construction industry as a career. These career opportunities come at a considerably reduced cost of time and money compared to a 4-year college degree and allow the graduates to start work sooner and begin earning a modest income. The students graduate with no college loan debt.
The Workforce Development Academy offers an accredited educational program that teaches students basic construction math, blueprint reading, safety, pipe handling, material handling, employability skills, and simulator training.
“Our school has partnered and received accreditation from the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) to provide this program,” said Natalie Hansen, Executive Director of the organization. NCCER is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) education foundation created in 1966.
NCCER develops standardized construction and maintenance curriculum and assessments with portable credentials. These credentials are tracked through NCCER’s Registry System, which allows organizations and companies to track the qualifications of their craft professionals and/or check the qualifications of possible new hires. NCCER’s Registry System also assists craft professionals by maintaining their records in a secure database.
TUCA’s member companies represent utility contractors, excavators, suppliers, manufacturers, and other providers in the water, sewer, gas, electric, treatment plant, telecommunications, and excavation industries. The mission of TUCA is to promote the operational proficiency and safety of member companies through advocacy, collaboration, education, and training.
“In addition to on-site equipment training, one of the unique features that our school offers is field training visits and opportunities,” said Hansen. In the past they’ve visited the Titans Stadium project where students were given the opportunity to sit in the equipment and view the work from an operator’s perspective. They’ve visited the Portland Utilities Construction office in Portland, TN, and participated in operator rodeo events. They attend a full day, each session, at Thompson Machinery in LaVergne, TN, operating a variety of equipment, touring the maintenance facilities, and learning GPS equipment operations.
At the end of each session, the Academy conducts a job fair with its member companies to interview and offer jobs to the students. During the last session, most students received an average of 6 job offers to choose from.
The organization has also created a scaled-down version targeted to be used in middle and elementary schools on a quarterly basis to introduce them to the industry as well as educating their parents and counselors on the optional career path. (Heavy equipment operators can earn upwards of $80,000 per year, early in their career, with no college debt). This group hosts the Annual Dozer Day event held each year in Gallatin at the Comer Barn location (owned and operated by the Rogers Group, Inc.). Rogers Group is a member of TUCA. This year’s Dozer Day event will be held on Saturday, September 20th, and a career fair will be held on Thursday, September 18th. (www.midtn.dozerday.org)
For more information or to apply to the school, visit www.mtwda.net or www.tucamidtn.com or contact Natalie Hansen at (615) 483-1642 to learn more about our Heavy Equipment Training Class.
