Tennessee Technology Centers Help Put People Back to Work Quickly

Workers in Tennessee are quickly gaining the skills they need to be placed in high-demand fields.

They are taking accelerated training programs through the Tennessee Technology Center (TTC) system, which helps workers obtain technical and professional skills essential for today’s competitive job market. The programs use WorkKeys^® assessments to prepare people for more than 70 distinct occupations.

Students take programs on one of 27 campuses—there is one within a short driving distance of every part of the state. Programs at each center vary, depending on the needs of local business and industry. Most take 12 to 18 months to complete. Some take as little as seven weeks (truck driving) or as many as 22 months (automotive technology).

The TTC model has proven successful: more than 75 percent of students who start a program finish it and, of those, 83 percent are placed in jobs in their fields. Graduates earn diplomas and credentials, including the National Career Readiness Certificate, which is based on three WorkKeys assessments: Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information, and Locating Information.

“There is a great need for trade skills in our state, and jobs await people who have the training,” said Chelle Travis, assistant vice chancellor for instruction.

The system serves predominantly dislocated workers—the average age is 32. Approximately 30,000 students are on the campuses on any given day. Two-thirds attend part time or full time; a third are business and industry training students who need additional preparation for new or current jobs. Some students have degrees, but need new skills so they can qualify for a job. Some who went directly into the workforce from high school, now see the value of postsecondary education.

Students at a Tennessee Technology Center take a WorkKeys assessment as part of their program training.

Students follow a Career Readiness Certificate Path to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to graduate and find a job. They take a pre-assessment to measure their foundational workplace skills and work on training modules in a Technology Foundations classroom to prepare for the WorkKeys assessments.

Once they reach a level 5 on the training modules, they take the pre-assessment again. Those who score a 5 or better on the pre-assessment take the three WorkKeys exams. Depending on their program, they may also take other WorkKeys assessments, such as Listening and Teamwork. Those who score below a 5 in any area receive additional instruction. Students are allowed to take one retest of each WorkKeys assessment, if needed.

All 27 campuses are ACT WorkKeys Solutions Providers, and proctored testing is provided in the Technology Foundation classrooms. Nearly 6,000 Technology Center graduates have received a National Career Readiness Certificate since June 2009; 87 percent of them have earned a silver or gold level certificate.

Graduates and employers alike have been enthusiastic about WorkKeys and the National Career Readiness Certificate, said Travis. “Both give us a nearly 100 percent satisfaction rate on surveys. Graduates feel well prepared for their jobs, and employers say graduates are meeting or exceeding expectations.”

Karen Tate, human resources administrator at Clarage Fan in Pulaski, said her company turns to the TTC Pulaski campus when it needs welders. Clarage Fan manufactures custom industrial and heavy-duty centrifugal fans, exhausters, and ventilators. “TTC graduates are work ready when they start with us. There is nothing lacking in their training,” she said.

Equipping students with the tools they need to succeed is the goal of the TTC programs, said James King, vice chancellor. “In this economy, students need to be able to demonstrate their proficiency levels to employers. A National Career Readiness Certificate is a bonus that gives employers greater confidence in the people they hire.”