A Commitment to Workforce Development

We aim to help enhance the local workforcedevelopment pipeline so individuals from underserved parts of Memphis have greater opportunity to become qualified workers ready for immediate hire. Through our collaboration with local workforcedevelopment programs, we leverage our people and our project sites for hands-on training with skilled labor to introduce participants to the construction trades. Further, we engage the underserved parts of our community and local K-12 schools to bring awareness of upskill opportunities for generational change through high-pay, high-dignity trades that lead to long-term success for their families and themselves.

Turner helped Upsmith establish the inaugural cohort of 18 students for its employer-sponsored, accelerated electrician program. Further, in collaboration with the Greater Memphis Chamber, we co-founded We Build 901, an initiative focused on building a talent pipeline for careers within the construction industry.

And as part of our continued partnership with the University of Memphis Herff College of Engineering, we provided scholarship funds and contributed to the student activities fund to help foster the construction industry’s next generation of leaders.

“Andy Davis’s leadership was the catalyst for us to collaborate with West Tennessee ABC and the City of Memphis to launch the electrician apprenticeship piece of our workforce-development program. We hope that after providing this training, participants will continue to grow in their electrician careers and eventually start businesses of their own.” – Wyatt Smith, Founder and CEO, Upsmith