Narrative: III. a. 2. G.

As described above, the State will continue to use the workforce development system partnerships to ensure all resources are leveraged successfully for participants in attaining their educational goals. In addition, the State’s “Drive to 55” initiative offers strong support for increasing educational access through TN Promise, TN Reconnect and LEAP grants. Finally, to increase educational access, the state will increasingly use  all workforce programs WIOA, TAA, Vocational Rehabilitation, Pell Grants, public and private grants, and other resources to assist participants in achieving their education and employment goals.

Tennessee will work across agencies to provide a wide range of supportive programs targeted to enhance access to educational institutions and their occupational and vocational training programs.  Examples of such programs include:

• Administering the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education grant for Tennessee. Educational institutions can request Perkins program improvement funding for activities to prepare special populations for high skill, wage, or demand occupations that will lead to self-sufficiency.
• High school seniors in Tennessee may apply for the Tennessee Promise scholarship, which will provide two years of tuition-free attendance at a community or technical college in Tennessee. Tennessee Promise is a last-dollar scholarship, meaning it will cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees not met by Pell, Hope or the Tennessee Student Assistance Award. As part of the program, students will be paired with a partnering organization, provided with a mentor who will support them during the college application process, and complete the community service requirement.
• Implementation of the Tennessee Reconnect Grant may also be used at Tennessee community colleges and some four-year institutions to pay for tuition while earning a two-year associate degree. This grant pays the remaining balance after other state financial aid and Pell Grants have been applied towards tuition and mandatory fees at the community college. At a four year institution, the Tennessee Reconnect Grant will not be last-dollar, meaning it will not cover all tuition and fees. The amount of funding you may receive will be based on the average amount of tuition and fees at a community college.
• Drive to 55 was created to ensure at least 55 percent of Tennesseans have a college degree or certificate by 2025 and can access more career opportunities in their communities across the state.  Tennessee Pathways supports alignment among K-12, postsecondary, and industry to provide students with relevant education and training to jumpstart their postsecondary degrees and credentials. Students, with their certificate, degree or credential, can transition seamlessly into the workforce and contribute to the success of our economy. 
• The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) educational system is fully accredited by the Tennessee Department of Education to ensure the highest level of education.  TDOC provides an array of academic and career technical programs, as well as library services at each of the state correctional facilities.   A team of dedicated, highly qualified teachers who hold valid Tennessee teacher's licenses, some of whom are also certified and licensed by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), provide instruction for incarcerated offenders in Adult Basic Education (ABE) and Career and Technical Education (CTE).  TDOC partners with Tennessee Higher Education Initiative (THEI) and Lipscomb University to offer classes at two male facilities and one female facility leading to a general education certificate, associate's degree, bachelor's degree, or master's degree.  TDOC also partners with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) to provide high school equivalency testing for incarcerated individuals.   The goal is to provide incarcerated offenders with education and career training as part of the broader effort to increase public safety and reduce recidivism.
• Work-based learning (WBL) is a proactive approach to bridging the gap between high school and high-demand, high-skill careers, providing students with the needed skills that are difficult to learn solely through classroom-based instruction. WBL activities begin by helping students develop a broad understanding and awareness of industries and possible careers that are available to them. Over time, these experiences narrow in focus as students find careers of interest, learn what postsecondary education is necessary for success, and practice the technical, transferable 21st century skills, and social and personal skills to enter those careers later in life.  Collaboration between private and public institutions ensures relevant skill development and clear pathways to student success. Work-based learning is a methodology that can support learning for all students through various strategies. Successfully braiding the components of school and work and providing work-based learning opportunities for all students requires a vision and commitment shared by stakeholders including educators, employers, communities, parents, and the students themselves. The Tennessee Department of Education’s policies support WBL programs that prepare students for success in local high-wage, high-demand, and high-skill careers through rigorous, relevant WBL experiences driven in partnership by the business community and schools.  These experiences may begin with broad exploratory activities as early as elementary school, when students are first becoming aware of what adults do in the world around them. Over time, these experiences become more customized and specific to the interests and needs of the students. Ultimately, more students will have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from high-level, capstone WBL experiences such as internships and apprenticeships that prepare students for postsecondary degrees and employment.
• The state’s Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeships strategy will be kicking off with full implementation in January 2020.  Labor and Workforce Development is partnering with Tennessee Board of Regents to increase sponsors of Apprenticeships programs at both the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) and Tennessee’s 13 Community Colleges Across the state.   By growing Apprenticeship programs throughout the state, in both traditional and non-traditional occupations, individuals are given the opportunity to earn while they learn.  These programs ensure individuals living wages while they progress through the educational components of their certifications and/or degree program.  Not only do apprenticeship programs provide access to education they enable individuals to achieve an education without the accumulation of debt.

Strong collaboration and engagement across agencies is critical to achieving those goals, and there is a shared commitment within state agencies, the Governor’s office, and the state legislature to ensure collaboration works to achieve the best outcomes for Tennesseans.

Governor Lee’s GIVE grants funded by the state legislature which designate priority points for distressed and at-risk counties are awarded to educational institutions. Local workforce agencies are collaborating on advisory and governance committees in several areas applying for these grants and can assist in leveraging these funds, as well as ECD LEAP grants, with other workforce services. They also can assist in working with the educational institutions, employers, and others in the related industry sectors to insure sustainability of GIVE grants in future years, and recruit populations with barriers into these programs.