Clayco Taps Rivian's $50K Pledge for Georgia Trade Pipeline
Subcontractors on Rivian’s $5 billion Georgia plant now have a local hiring pipeline: Clayco’s pre-apprenticeship program graduated its first cohort this fall, Construction Dive reports.
Program Details
Rivian put up $50,000 for pre-apprenticeship training, scholarships, internships and career exposure across the project timeline, according to Construction Dive. Clayco and its subcontracting partners raised another $220,000. That puts the total at $270,000, with Rivian supplying about 18.5% of it. The money flows through Clayco’s nonprofit affiliate, Construction Career Development Initiative (CCDI). This is a local recruiting channel, not a market shift.
The first cohort was one of three planned and included 24 residents local to the project. Georgia-based nonprofit Construction Ready delivered a fully funded, 20-day program covering up to eight industry-recognized credentials. Training included hands-on craft work and contractor introductions, held at a Georgia BioScience Center space hosted by Rivian. Clayco-owned Concrete Strategies has already hired graduate Aleem Rashid.
CJ Adventures, a joint venture of Clayco and JE Dunn, is building the 4.5-million-square-foot campus in Stanton Springs. Groundbreaking was in September 2025, and completion is expected by 2030, per the state of Georgia. Work on the site hasn’t started in earnest, said Tony Mezines, Clayco executive vice president and project executive. The next cohort is likely to train on site, and eligible high school seniors from recent career fairs may join it.
“When our clients invest in workforce development and into our program, it can really amplify the success of the program,” Mezines said.
Clayco has also awarded two University of Georgia scholarships aimed at future project managers and civil engineers.
What It Means for Subcontractors
Project stage: early stage, with major on-site work still ahead. The source does not list open subcontract packages or trade-specific headcounts.
- Get on the employer list before the next cohort. Contact Rachel Boemer Ashlock, CCDI program director, and ask when the next career fair is and how employers get a seat. The first cohort ended with a career fair, and Concrete Strategies hired from it.
- Reach out to Mezines if you hold or want Rivian scope. As project executive, he is the person who connected Rivian to CCDI. Ask whether your trade (concrete, civil, carpentry or other) will be included in on-site training as the job ramps up.
- Size the pledge against your own costs. Divide $50,000 by your loaded cost to train one apprentice. The result shows how few hires the pledge covers on its own. The value is the 24-person candidate pool, which graduated with credentials and has had direct contact with contractors.
- Check your commute radius. Construction Ready’s earlier cohorts were on Atlanta’s west side. This one ran on the east side, so residents near Stanton Springs no longer face a roughly 90-minute drive. Subs staffing other east Atlanta-area jobs may find the same pool useful.
- Plan for the 2030 horizon. With completion expected by 2030, subs can use the training to build a bench over several years instead of hiring in one wave. Raise it in your next conversation with Clayco or CJ Adventures.
- Look at the follow-up model. Rashid said Concrete Strategies kept in contact after the program ended. Any sub drawing from this pool should plan a similar check-in so new hires don’t drop off.
