Music City Construction Careers helps unions recruit in Nashville area

On today’s America’s Work Force Union podcast, Music City Construction Careers (MC3) Executive Director Sam Petschulat and President Vonda McDaniel joined us to discuss how the organization is filling a gap for unions and helping introduce workers to the benefits of joining a union. 

The South has historically been a difficult place for unions to organize. Despite this, there are several projects in the area looking for a skilled workforce, and Petschulat said this is where MC3 is helping provide workers for the trades. The apprenticeship readiness program includes mentorship and career counseling services in the Nashville area. McDaniel and Petschulat discussed how the organization came to be, and how they are helping Nashville workers and their families experience the benefits of the trades. 

Petschulat discussed the workforce shortage in the construction industry in the Nashville region. The shortage of skilled workers begins at the high school level with a lack of vocational and technical education programs. McDaniel talked about the organization's goal to reintroduce information about career opportunities with the trades. The program is helping to bridge the gap between unions and workers in underrepresented communities in Central Tennessee, she said.

Recently, MC3 graduated a class of 31 workers ready to enter an apprenticeship program with one of the 15 trades they work with. Petschulat shared the program’s impact by highlighting one of the graduate’s success story. Such positive stories are common he said, especially as their new career in the trades helps them buy their first home, open their first savings account and seek medical care they had previously neglected. McDaniel said the program truly enhances the earning potential of its participants and has proven to help transform their lives.

Interested in learning more about the MC3 program? Listen to the show above, and then visit their website at MusicCityMC3.org.