Workforce and Education

Tennessee is home to a number of innovative education and workforce partnerships:

• In 2017, Nissan partnered with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) in Murfreesboro to open a training center in Smyrna for careers in advanced manufacturing. These training programs are part of Tennessee’s strategy to create a pipeline of high-skilled workers in the state.
• Volkswagen joined forces with Chattanooga State Community College to develop two three-year mechatronics degree programs accredited by the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce.
• Bridgestone partnered with Motlow State Community College to develop a mechatronics program based on the Siemens Mechatronics Systems approach to advanced manufacturing. It’s the only program in the U.S. to offer a three-step pathway for advanced manufacturing education.
• Educational institutions in Tennessee are also partnering together to better train Tennessee’s workforce. Credit transfer programs now exist between TCAT-Morristown & Northeast State as well as TCAT-Knoxville & Pellissippi State.
• Electrolux and the Workforce Investment Network (WIN) partnered to provide training through WIN’s Industrial Readiness Training program. Classes are based upon Electrolux’s specifications and training requirements, and are offered at the Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis.

Our applicant recruitment team is comprised of representatives from the Tennessee Career Centers, state agencies, local officials and education providers work in collaboration with your company’s human resource personnel to ensure a quick and efficient delivery of services. Most importantly, the members of the our team makes every effort to customize all aspects of the recruitment process to meet the specific needs of your company.

Our recruitment process fills approximately 33,000 job openings annually. Job orders detailing the necessary job requirements can be placed with one or more of the 75 Tennessee Career Centers located throughout the state detailing the necessary job requirements. The Tennessee Career Centers will immediately match qualified job candidates to the company’s job openings. The job order will also receive statewide and national exposure through the Jobs4TN.gov website, Tennessee’s premier online job resource center for candidates and prospective employers. The talent recruitment process continues with pre-screening, assessment and testing, interviewing and pre-hire training.

Drive to 55:

Initiative to equip 55% of Tennesseans with post-secondary credential by 2025.

Explore Drive to 55

Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education Act

The Governor’s Investment in Vocation Education (GIVE) initiative, part of Governor Bill Lee’s legislative agenda, is a two-pronged approach to expand access to vocational and technical training for Tennessee high school students. The initiative invests $25 million in competitively awarded community grants that will fund regional partnerships between high schools, industry, and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) to build new work-based learning/apprenticeship programs, market-driven dual-credit opportunities, and the expansion of industry-informed career and technical education offerings.

The initiative also provides additional lottery funding to high school juniors and seniors to utilize four fully-funded dual enrollment credits for trade and technical programs. Previously, high school students only had access to two fully-funded dual enrollment credits. The funding expansion will be given only to those students enrolling in programs that directly address workforce needs identified by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) board of directors.

Dual Enrollment Course Increase

Bipartisan legislation presented as a “GIVE Act” addition passed this session, allowing high school students who meet certain academic criteria to enroll in and receive funding for two additional dual enrollment courses, for a total of three courses a semester. The legislation provides greater access to students interested in earning early postsecondary credits from universities or community colleges.  The legislation caps the total number of courses for which a student may receive a dual enrollment grant at 10.

Tennessee Promise

Beginning in Fall 2015, high school graduates can attend one of our 13 Tennessee Community College or 27 Tennessee College of Applied Technology College completely free of tuition and fees.

Tennessee Reconnect

Tennessee the first state in the nation to offer all citizens, both high school graduates and adults, the chance to earn a postsecondary degree or certificate free of tuition and fees and at no cost to taxpayers.

Labor Education Alignment Program (LEAP)

Tennessee Labor Education Alignment Program (LEAP) ensures that post-secondary institutions are producing the skills and credentials that Tennessee employers actually need. 

Tennessee LEAP eliminates skills gaps across the state in a proactive, data-driven and coordinated manner by encouraging collaboration across education and industry and by utilizing regional workforce data to identify and then fill skills gaps across the state. 

With a competitive grant distribution of $10 million in 2015, state funds are being utilized to support local alignment groups to develop skills gap forecasts, identify the highest priorities, and develop programs or purchase equipment needed to fill those gaps. 

View 2020 LEAP Report

Workforce360°

Tennessee aims to be the most aligned state in the nation between workforce, education and industry. Enter Workforce360°, a systematic partnership among state agencies and the higher education system that delivers a highly skilled workforce for your business. 

The best solutions are most often achieved through a collaborative approach. When companies allow us to become an extension of their workforce development and recruitment efforts, we are able to provide support that is truly unique to your business. Our project based system works with your company to identify workforce gaps and streamlines solutions across Tennessee by utilizing state department communications, interaction and resources. Region-based tactical teams provide a timely response to immediate business workforce needs, as well as strategic planning for long-term requirements.