Enhancing Tennessee's Workforce to Ensure Career-Readiness
Tennessee’s economic growth is contingent on a strong and well-trained workforce that understands both industry demands and workplace skills. The Tennessee Chamber is deeply engaged in these efforts through a number of areas that are making a real difference for business and their workforce needs. We work to be a voice for business on workforce issues and inform business and workforce partners on best practices and success stories. Most recently in 2018 the workforce committee, in partnership with the Tennessee General Assembly and Senator Mark Norris and Rep. John Forgety, successfully passed legislation that provides employer(s) with both liability protections and a $500 grant program for participating in secondary and / or post-secondary work-based learning (WBL) programs with students.
Strengthening Tennessee’s Career and Technical Education K-12 Programs and Work Based Learning Partnerships - Chamber members consistently cite the lack of a skilled workforce and ongoing staffing challenges as a top concern for their businesses. The evolving demands of a modern, globally-competitive labor market necessitate a continued emphasis on rigorous academics, career preparation, and skill development in our state’s schools. Anticipated shifts in the distribution of current jobs due to technology require that both our K-12 education and higher education systems proactively work together to equip students with the educational tools they need that align with the high-skill demands of the jobs of the future.
The Tennessee Chamber supports the following K-12 education policies that set a firm academic foundation for postsecondary success and career-ready knowledge and skills:
Resources for Additional Information
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The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry is the unified voice of business and premier advocacy
organization in the state. The Tennessee Chamber creates prosperity for all Tennesseans through
an economy of increased productivity and global competitiveness.
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