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.

This report includes information on in-demand occupations, aligned academic programs, including postsecondary degrees, high school career and technical education (CTE) completers, and apprenticeships. 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 inaugural report is the culmination of two years of collaboration aligning methods for identifying in-demand occupations and creating an improved output for wide ranging stakeholders, serving as a roadmap to improving the talent pipeline of Tennessee’s workforce.