INTRODUCTION

This report is prepared pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-7-112(b), which directs the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD), Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD), and Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), to “produce an annual report regarding state workforce need projections and credential production.”

In-demand occupations and aligned academic programs — including postsecondary degrees, high school career and technical education (CTE) concentrators, and apprenticeships — are organized by career cluster in this report. Accompanying dashboards and workbooks localize this information by local workforce development area (LWDA), referred to as regions, and provide information on the aligned academic programs.

This report is developed in collaboration between THEC, TDLWD, TNECD, and TDOE which have distinct agency mission’s but connected goals in preparing Tennesseans for careers and building the talent pipeline of Tennessee’s workforce.

The Tennessee Department of Education’s (TDOE) mission is to set all students on a path to success. As part of this vision, TDOE seeks to increase the number of students on-track to meet their postsecondary goals. 39.7 percent of the class of 2021 were Ready Graduates, which are the share of graduating students who demonstrate readiness for postsecondary education and/or a career after high school. There are several criteria to be a Ready Graduate, including a qualifying ACT score, participation in early postsecondary opportunities (EPSOs), among other criteria. The State Board of Education’s (SBOE) Master Plan outlines the goal to increase the share of Ready Graduates by 4 percentage points annually

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) and Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) are relentlessly focused on increasing the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential. The goal is for 55 percent of Tennesseans to have a postsecondary credential by 2025, which is informed by estimates of workforce need. To meet this goal, THEC/TSAC promotes college access, offers financial aid programs, approves academic programs offered by public colleges, funds colleges through an outcomes-based funding model, and guides local workforce alignment efforts through the Governor’s Investment and Vocational Education Act (GIVE). To improve the pipeline to college, THEC/TSAC has established the Momentum Year to increase seamless college enrollment to 60 percent for the Class of 2023.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) is to work as a team to promote workforce and economic development and improve workplace safety and health throughout Tennessee. TDLWD oversees several functions to promote training and employment for individuals to increase family-sustaining wages, meet employer demand, and enhance productivity and competitiveness in Tennessee. This is done through a high-quality workforce development system, aligning workforce investment, education, and economic development. TDLWD seeks to increase the Labor Force Participation rate to 65 percent by 2025. As of December 2022, Tennessee’s Labor Force Participation rate was 58.5 percent.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD)’s mission is to enhance Tennessee’s competitiveness by driving job creation, generating economic growth, and facilitating community development. As part of this mission, TNECD seeks to be the number one state in the southeast for high quality jobs and supports the state’s efforts to attract and grow business in the state for job growth and economic vitality. A core goal to their Strategic Plan is to support companies and education stakeholders in closing workforce gaps.