CLUSTER EIGHT: HUMAN SERVICES

Quick Takeaways

Human services occupations include those focused on societal and individual well-being. Nationally, employment in community and social occupations is projected to grow 10 percent from 2021 to 2031.4 The pandemic shed new light on the need to expand behavioral health for adults and children. Demand: Social and human services assistants, requiring a high school degree, are in-demand in eight of the nine regions of Tennessee. Healthcare social workers are in-demand in four regions. Supply: School counselors with educational specialist degrees, and those with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in human services and social work had the highest employment rates. In 2020-21, 79 graduates completed the post-baccalaureate in social work with first-year wages of $43,025, with employment rates similar to the 517 graduates with master’s degrees in social work. Unmet needs continue to exist in social work and behavioral health.

Human services occupations include those focused on societal and individual well-being. Nationally, employment in community and social occupations is projected to grow 10 percent from 2021 to 2031.72 As our society grows and changes, demand for occupations focusing on nutritional, behavioral, and mental health will likely increase.

The pandemic shed new light on behavior and mental health services, needs, and access in Tennessee for both adults and children. The 2022 Needs Assessment73 from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services identified several workforce development needs including “expand workforce development within the behavioral health field with a focus on outpatient clinical mental health providers who serve both adults and children.” According to the 2022 State of the Child in Tennessee report, half of all mental health conditions begin by age 14.74

In 2021, Governor Bill Lee renewed the proposal for the Mental Health Trust Fund to assist K-12 families facing significant mental health issues in the wake of COVID-19.75 The Mental Health Trust Fund received an investment of $250 million.76 Several in-demand occupations attend to the mental health of Tennessee children, including educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors; and child, family, and school social workers.

TCATs, community colleges, and universities offer a diverse selection of awards and programs that feed into in-demand occupations in human services. Southwest Tennessee Community College (SWTCC) and UoM offer a Substance Abuse Counseling Technical Certificate and a Substance Abuse Graduate Certificate, respectively. These are the only substance abuse-specific certificates within the state. UoM also offers a Bachelor of Professional Studies with a concentration in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services.

MTSU’s Industrial Organization Psychology is unique as it is the only baccalaureate program in the state. The program is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in personnel departments of business and industries and provides a background for graduate work in Psychology, Industrial Organization Psychology, and other related fields. Offered solely in-person, this degree at MTSU is approved for the Academic Common Market (ACM) allowing residents from other states to qualify for in-state tuition. ACM allows students across the southern region, as defined by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), to participate as an in-state student in programs not offered in their home state.77