Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The D.R. Horton Northeast Tennessee division announces its relationship with the Tennessee Center for Applied Technology (TCAT) to support training programs that enhance the residential construction workforce, support regional developers and contractors and promote the trades to regional high school students as a rewarding career path.
The program announcement comes amid growing community investments in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia from the nation’s largest homebuilder by volume.
“We continue to see tremendous growth in the region and the need to meet the demand for more housing,” says Barak Saltzman, City Manager for D.R. Horton in Knoxville and Northeast Tennessee. “At D.R. Horton, we are committed to being community partners and expect to continue to invest in relationships that provide great career opportunities for people interested in the trades.”
Following its introduction into the market, Northeast Tennessee has become a strong residential market for D.R. Horton. By the end of 2021, D.R. Horton had closed on more than 250 homes in the region and anticipates another 500 closings over the next 12 months. The economic impact of this investment has resulted in more than $100 million in East Tennessee in 2022 with plans for D.R. Horton to increase its investment to an estimated $300 million in 2023, and that is just the beginning of the company’s vision for the region.
“Our relationship with D.R. Horton is incredibly important to the career development and training programs we see at TCAT,” says David Hicks, President of TCAT, Elizabethton. “Industry relationships such as this provide valuable mentorship and future employment opportunities for current and graduating students.”
This week’s announcement will support TCAT’s existing operations and potential scholarships to the program from D.R. Horton, which may include financial aid for students seeking to learn skills for the residential construction trade. The nation, and specifically regions such as Northeast Tennessee, are in dire need of skilled trades people and support for contracting companies to meet the growing need for housing.
The program intends to offer daytime and evening classes.