Data Use and Application

This report is created to help stakeholders make informed decisions about education and training opportunities in their communities and regions. This section outlines some of the ways that readers can use this report.

Students, Job Seekers, and Workforce Counselors

Students planning their careers, job seekers, and advisors can use this report to identify indemand occupations and related programs. Community and faith-based organizations and pathways and re-entry coordinators can broaden their understanding of the variety of indemand occupations across career clusters, the training options that are available to students and job seekers, and the outcomes of students completing training programs. This report is intended to assist individuals who may have limited access to or understanding of available supply and demand information.

K-12 Professionals

Middle schools and high schools in Tennessee can use this report to identify opportunities such as work-based learning, dual enrollment, industry tours, and teacher externships. TDOE requires data on the in-demand occupations to be provided by applicants for the department’s grant programs and other award-based initiatives. Examples include applications for TDOE’s Innovative High School Models grant program, and the criteria for credentials included on the Tennessee Promoted Student Industry Certification List.

Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs)

TCATs can use this report to identify gaps in educational programming and opportunities to develop postsecondary programs aligned to established occupational needs. TCATs and their program advisory committees might use this report as a point of reference to create, expand, or downsize programs based upon latest trends. Data within the report can also be used for general reference, to write grants, and forecast. TCATs may also use information in this report to develop partnerships with area employers. This may include the establishment of pipelines for completer job placement or the identification of employers for general and program advisory committees.

Community Colleges

Community colleges can use this report to establish new academic programs, modify existing programs, and introduce or remove concentrations. Specifically, this report can be used to collaborate with business, industry, government agencies, local agencies, and postsecondary institutions to efficiently implement workforce training programs, across occupation levels, that address the needs of Tennessee. This report can be used to connect degree completers to occupations, and employers, developing pipelines between colleges

and employers for job placement. This report could also be used more generally by community colleges offering critical data points for reporting and grant writing and determining instruction and industry needs in Tennessee.

The Motlow State Automation & Robotics Training Center (ARTC) and the Aviation Technology Program at Northeast State Community College represent examples of expanded programming in response to business demand. This report serves to demonstrate and encourage more opportunities like these.

Universities

Universities can use this report to detect workforce need in the creation and update of academic programs, including certificates and other credentials, generally, and as part of THEC’s expedited academic programs approval process. This report could also be used as a supporting document for the creation of new concentrations or minors which align with indemand job markets. Universities can use this report for evaluation or analyses of academic programs, to motivate student interest in in-demand occupations, or to increase application, retention, and completion rates for aligned programs, among other initiatives. Universities may also use this report to enhance partnerships with employers and industry, ensuring that programs are aligned with occupational needs and creating a pipeline of prospective employees for needed positions.

Industry Advocates and Economic Developers

Business and industry professionals that advocate for business growth and economic vitality, can use this report and accompanying data to support initiatives that reduce workforce gaps present in their communities. This includes, economic developers, chambers of commerce, human resources groups, public policy advocacy groups, and industry advocacy groups. These stakeholders can use the report as a tool to build support and obtain resources for increasing the supply of workers in a given field. This report can identify occupations in demand with employers and determine how to alter Tennessee’s education and training systems to meet those needs.

Workforce Development Professionals

Local, regional, and state workforce development professionals can use this report to identify unique workforce needs in their communities, and in turn, develop workforce pipeline opportunities. Labor market information is essential for tracking and analyzing the condition of the economy across the state. Data analysis is vital in determining workforce training needs, identifying the availability of labor for employers, understanding wages, and exploring labor market trends. This report and its accompanying resources support a datadriven and collaborative research environment for Tennessee’s workforce development

professionals. For example, data on in-demand occupations have been utilized in grant proposals, including the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) grant.

Individuals Supporting Re-entry Services

“Re-entry” is the transition from incarceration within prison, jail, or juvenile justice facilities and back to living in the community. Successful re-entry can have a direct impact on the state’s goals to (1) reduce recidivism rates, (2) improve social mobility, and (3) empower the economic sufficiency of communities and make them safer.

By using this report, justice involved individuals, their families, and supporting providers, like Tennessee Department of Correction or Tennessee Board of Regents, could identify indemand occupations for which individuals may qualify, associated training programs, and the employment and wages that previous program completers have achieved in their first year. Stakeholders could use this report to assist those in re-entry to transition into the labor force by identifying pathways consistent with their skills and education—providing opportunities for advancement and reducing the risk of recidivism.