2 minute read
BUSINESS, FINANCE, AND GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT SERVICES ALIGNED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Source: P20 Connect, public postsecondary and select private postsecondary completers, and TDLWD
Insurance (UI) employment and wage records.
The Office of Reentry (OOR) at the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a statewide comprehensive source for reentry information, direction, and planning, and is the first in the nation not tied to a Department of Correction. Inspired by Governor Bill Lee’s vision, the OOR was created in July of 2021 to provide comprehensive workforce services to support Justice Involved Individuals (JII’s) who are reentering society, via the Department’s statewide network of American Job Centers (AJC’s). Reentry is defined as the transition from incarceration-life in prison, jail, or juvenile justice facilities-to life in the community. The OOR’s work has three key objectives: improve data tracking of JII, expand staff capacity, and increase statewide awareness of employing and retaining JII individuals. OOR’s two grants include:
The Justice Involved Individual Grant: Starting last year (2022), the Justice Involved Individual Grant has the goal of providing funding to our Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs) with work initiatives that focus on JII’s and in partnership with local Department of Labor and Workforce Adult Education providers.
LWDBs must provide Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) work-based learning opportunities, job readiness, and employment services specific to JII’s, within local in-demand industry sectors and in partnership with one of the following: a local jail, prison, diversionary court, Day Reporting Center, or Community Corrections, to recruit JII’s for program participation. The grants will promote stronger partnerships with potential employers, state agencies, and other community organizations in the reentry space.
The Justice Assistant Grant: The Justice Assistant Grant’s intended outcomes center on reducing the recidivism (returning to incarceration) rates for JII’s that participate in our reentry workforce programs and improve employment outcomes. Listening tours are being carried out across the state, including providing more information on second chance hiring concerns. The goals are to collaborate with employers to better understand the concerns and workforce needs surrounding the employment of JII’s as well as provide existing resources that can help address them.
For more information please visit our website at tn.gov/workforce/reentrytn or contact us at reentry@tn.gov.
Academic programs in the Business, Finance, and Government Management and Support Services cluster range in degree level, from short term certificates to professional and doctoral programs. Among short-term programs, 75 percent of associate degrees in accounting and 80 percent of 1-2YR certificate completers in accounting are found in the Tennessee employment records two quarters after graduating, indicating a high share of short-term accounting credential recipients staying in Tennessee. TCATs offer a diploma in Administrative Office Technology contributing to the more than 400 Executive Assistant credentials produced in 2020-21. Among post-baccalaureate programs, there are also high shares of bachelor's degree completers in medical records administration and master's degree completers in business statistics which may indicate a need for additional graduates. Other programs with high employment rates and wages above the state median included the associate degree program in health care management, the international business master's degree, and the post baccalaureate and master's degrees in public administration and public policy, respectively.
The University of Tennessee System, Locally Governed Institutions, and select TICUA institutions offer several baccalaureate and above programs, such as business administration, accounting, and political science, each producing over 500 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-21. Tennessee State University (TSU) offers a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration and Planning, designed to prepare students for leadership roles in health care. The program includes a 12-week summer field placement. Data for nine regions in the state indicated a shortage of project management specialists; only one program at the post baccalaureate level with fewer than 10 graduates addressed this need.
