The Tennessee Governor’s Veteran Fellowship is a competitive, non-partisan, one-year fellowship that provides an opportunity for veterans to transition into Tennessee state government leadership work following military service. Fellows are initially placed within one of the 23 cabinet-level agencies, and gain experience with multiple departments with the potential for a full-time position in state government.
Enables young people to explore career options while growing personally and professionally. Participants must be ages 14-24 and priority is given to low-income youths and those in foster care. A grant to participating employers covers the cost of wages or wage reimbursement and youths can earn up to $4,000 through the program and may have […]
This grant program provides funding for universities and research institutions to develop new and further existing nuclear education programs, for site development efforts for new nuclear projects, and for incentive grants to nuclear energy-related businesses.
The Commercial Driver Licensing program is responsible for testing and training of applicants for commercial driver licenses. The program also trains state and third-party testers to conduct training across the state. The program includes the Heroes to Highways program that helps veterans obtain commercial driver’s licenses.
Employment and Community First (ECF) CHOICES is for people of all ages who have an intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD). It provides a range of supports and services to help the person with I/DD become as independent as possible including support to explore the possibility of working. It also includes support to be involved in […]
The Tennessee STRONG Act Program provides tuition reimbursement to education institutions within Tennessee on behalf of eligible members of the Tennessee National Guard. Service members may use this benefit to pursue associate degrees, undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and certificates or diplomas at colleges of applied technology. Since its inception in 2018, over 2,000 National Guard […]
Individual Placement & Support (IPS) supported employment program is a community-based program that helps individuals with a serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorder work in competitive and integrated jobs of their choosing. IPS also promotes supported education goals (e.g., getting a GED, enrolling in postsecondary classes, etc.).
Provides early childhood mental health training, coaching and consultation (using best practices) to centers and systems that serve young children across the state. In addition, capacity development and awareness building will be provided around the need for early childhood mental health and healthy social emotional development. The training site in Nashville serves the whole state, […]
TN Certified Pre-Apprenticeships allow employers, educators, communities, associations, and organizations to develop and implement quality training programs, which help prepare individuals to enter into Registered Apprenticeship Programs. Certified Pre-Apprenticeships are primarily operated through K-12, post-secondary, and adult education providers. They could involve an educational component with aligned credential opportunities and/or work-based experiences which could articulate […]
The Adult Basic Education program provides instruction in literacy, numeracy, English language, and workforce preparedness to adult learners who are basic skills deficient, are ESL, or who lack a high school diploma or equivalency. The program also provides workforce development opportunities to learners, including pre-apprenticeships, postsecondary prep or dual enrollment, integrated education and training, or […]
The American Job Center Network is designed to provide a full range of assistance to job seekers in one physical or virtual location. The AJCs offer training referrals, career counseling, job listings, and similar employment-related services. Programs and services are provided to a wide range of individuals, such as youth, unemployed individuals, senior adults, veterans, […]
The Unemployment Insurance program provides weekly unemployment insurance payments for workers who experience disruptions in work and meet the eligibility requirement of the program.
The Integrated English Literacy & Civics Education (IELCE) program provides instruction to adult English language learners and immigrants in English language acquisition, civics, and workforce preparedness, as well as opportunities for integrated education and training.
The federal Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) program provides individualized employment and training-related services to veterans and eligible persons with significant barriers to employment and helps employers fill their workforce needs with job-seeking veterans. This program is implemented in American Job Centers.
Tennessee’s Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker (MSFW) program helps migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families achieve economic self-sufficiency by offering supportive services to them while they work in agriculture or by helping them to acquire new skills for jobs offering better pay.
The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is a community service and work-based job training program that provides training for low-income, unemployed seniors (adults 55+). SCSEP participants gain work experience in a variety of community service activities at non-profit and public facilities, including schools, hospitals, day-care centers, and senior centers. Participants also have access to […]
On-the-Job/Incumbent Worker/Customized Skills Training Services provides, among other services, training for employees when employers need to recruit a large number of workers to stand up or expand operations within Tennessee. In doing so, this program helps support the state’s economic development recruitment strategy. It is administered by TDLWD and implemented through local workforce development areas/boards […]
Rapid Response Services are a proactive, business-focused, and flexible strategy designed to respond to layoffs and employer closings by quickly coordinating services and providing immediate aid to businesses and their affected workers. Rapid Response teams work with employers and any employee representative(s) to quickly maximize public and private resources to minimize disruptions associated with job […]
Youth Services focus on assisting out-of-school youth and in-school youth, ages 14-24 and with one or more barriers to employment, to prepare for post-secondary education and employment opportunities, attain educational and/or skills training credentials, and secure employment with career/promotional opportunities. The program is administered by TDLWD through local workforce development areas/boards and organizations.
The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I program is administered by the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development and implemented through local workforce development areas/boards, organizations, and the American Job Center Network. The program is intended to support and provide job training and a range of related employment, education, and training […]
The WIOA Title III, Wagner-Peyser program seeks to improve the functioning of our state’s labor market by providing employment services to job seekers and employers through a network of American Job Centers, including training referrals, career counseling and job listings.
The federal Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) program is intended to better link the unemployed with the overall workforce system. RESEA provides Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants access to specific services through the American Job Center network that can help them get back into the workforce faster.
The Reentry Services Program provides comprehensive workforce services to support justice-involved individuals (JII) who are reentering society after incarceration or engagement with the justice system, including legal aid services, connections to employment, training, education, etc. . TDLWD’s Office of Reentry works through local workforce areas/boards, and with individuals, employers, communities, associations, and organizations to support […]
As a part of WIOA Title I, Adult Services provides Tennessee job seekers and others with job search assistant services and training opportunities and helps employers meet their workforce needs. It is implemented through local workforce development areas/boards and organizations. This program specifically serves veterans, low-income individuals and recipients of public assistance, and those who […]
WIOA Dislocated Worker Services help workers get back to work as quickly as possible and overcome barriers to employment after employment separation. When individuals become dislocated because of job loss, mass layoffs, global trade dynamics, or transitions in economic sectors, the program provides services to assist them in re-entering the workforce. The program includes Rapid […]
The federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program is available to employers who invest in job seekers who have consistently faced barriers to employment. Employers can apply for and receive a certification verifying the new hire is a member of an eligible group before they can claim the tax credit.
Business Services offer a range of services and strategies that support business recruitment and expansion in Tennessee, including on-the-job training, supporting job fairs, and providing learning platforms like Coursera.
The Federal Bonding Program provides fidelity bonds to employers, which protect them against losses caused by fraudulent or dishonest acts of bonded employees, such as theft, forgery, larceny, and embezzlement. Employers receive the FBP bonds free-of-charge as an incentive to hire these applicants.
H-2A and H-2B temporary agricultural supports allow agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring nonimmigrant foreign workers to the U.S. to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature. Employment is tied to a certain time of year by an event or pattern, such as a short annual […]
Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) prepare students with disabilities to achieve their employment and postsecondary education goals after high school. Services include counseling in postsecondary education, career exploration, self-advocacy, workplace readiness, and work-based learning.
The Apprenticeship TN program supports employers in developing Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) and creates greater awareness of apprenticeship opportunities for employers and workers across Tennessee. RAPs are an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience and a portable, nationally-recognized credential.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training Program (E&T) helps eligible participants achieve their vocational goals and increase self-sufficiency through funded education, skills training, and supportive services. These services include SNAP E&T components that are offered to participants to provide them a direct link to employment. Tennessee currently offers Adult Education, Job Search […]
The Vocational Rehabilitation Program (VR) provides individualized services such as counseling and guidance, training, rehabilitation technology, transportation, and employment services to persons with disabilities in preparation for their employment in the competitive, integrated labor market. Through each individualized service plan, VR supports employment outcomes for customers that are consistent with their individual strengths, resources, abilities, […]
The Child Care WAGE$® Program is an education-based salary supplement program for child care educators employed in DHS Licensed Child Care agencies. This program provides eligible educators an annual award, issued in two parts, based on specific qualifications that include working at least six months in the same child care program with children birth to five […]
Families First, the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, is a workforce development and employment program. The Families First program emphasizes work, training, and personal responsibility. Benefits are temporary and have a primary focus on gaining self-sufficiency through employment. The Families First program helps participants reach this goal by providing temporary cash assistance, […]
The Ned McWherter Scholars Program is designed to encourage academically superior Tennessee high school graduates to attend college in Tennessee by awarding successful applicants scholarship funds.
The Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) HOPE program aims to recognize and promote academic achievement in high school through scholarship to retain the state’s “best and brightest” students in Tennessee colleges and universities. The HOPE supplements, the General Assembly Merit Scholarship and Aspire recognize very high achieving and low-income students eligible for HOPE, respectively.
The Tennessee Student Assistance Award Program (TSAA) provides grants to low-income undergraduate students who are residents of Tennessee. Applicants must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment, at least half time, at a public or an eligible non-public postsecondary institution in Tennessee.
The Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills grant (W-N) and TCAT Reconnect grant provide grants to individuals attending a Tennessee College of Applied Technology. W-N is a flat grant amount for students pursuing a certificate or diploma program. TCAT Reconnect is a last-dollar scholarship for students pursuing a certificate or diploma.
Reconnect Re-Entry Navigators support incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students in pursuing postsecondary credentials through helping students navigate the application, financial aid, and enrollment processes and connecting them to wraparound services before and during college.
Several financial aid programs are made available to Tennesseans funded by the Tennessee Education Lottery. The HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant, STEP UP program, and Helping Heroes fund provide financial assistance to promote access to higher education. These scholarships serve foster youth eligible for the HOPE scholarship, students with intellectual disabilities, and student veterans, respectively.
The Tennessee Reconnect Grant is last-dollar, tuition and mandatory fee-free community college for independent Tennesseans who want to pursue an associate degree at a Tennessee community college.
The Veteran Reconnect Grant program works to accelerate the success of student veterans already enrolled on Tennessee campuses and create favorable conditions to recruit new student veterans. This program provides funding through grants focused on research and initiatives that would improve the success of student veterans while enhancing training for faculty and staff who work […]
Advise TN is a college advising program placing a full-time equivalent employee in a high-need high school who provides college advising services to high school juniors and seniors.
The Ayers Foundation Trust and tnAchieves provide college coaching services to Tennessee Promise students with a focus on increasing the share of students who persist and complete a higher education credential. Coaches provide encouragement, connect students with critical resources, and proactively ensure that students are taking the correct steps toward graduation. Both organizations also provide […]
Reconnect Navigators provide high-touch support to adult Tennesseans wishing to go to college and complete a postsecondary credential. Navigators help students through the application, financial aid, and enrollment processes and connect them to wraparound services before and during college.
Tennessee Promise isa scholarship program focused on increasing the number of eligible Tennessee students that seamlessly enroll in college. The Tennessee Promise is a last-dollar scholarship that covers tuition and mandatory fees not covered by gift aid (e.g., Pell grant, TSAA, or HOPE Scholarship).
In partnership with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the state’s 13 community colleges, tnAchieves administers two summer programs, Summer Bridge Program and Summer Institute, to increase the likelihood of a student matriculating seamlessly to college and being successful.
The State provides student financial aid through partnership with private colleges and universities to support student access to academic programs at private colleges that serve the needs of the people of Tennessee.
Tennessee State Loan Repayment Program (TSLRP) provides loan repayment to qualified primary care practitioners in exchange for a two-year service obligation (full or part-time) at a non-profit or private non-profit within an eligible health professional shortage area (HPSA). Loan repayment can apply to a variety of relevant medical school loans, including primary care doctors, dentists, […]
The Healthcare Workforce Shortage Designation, within the Primary Care Office, works to find the areas of the state that need health care providers. It does that by maintaining a database of primary care providers within the state and then using mapping technology to create workforce shortage designations, based on federal standards. These designations help increase […]
This program helps incarcerated individuals prepare for successful reintegration into the community and provides community corrections program supports such as providing a broader range of options outside of incarceration or offering direct services to meet the basic needs of the justice-involved individual. This minimizes the risk of these individuals re-entering the justice system as well […]
AmeriCorps is a National Service program that provides an opportunity for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to give their time and talent to address critical community needs like increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, fighting poverty, sustaining national parks, preparing for disasters, and more. Subrecipients (local non-profit organizations receiving funding) engage AmeriCorps members in service […]
Evidence Based Programming (EBP) provides educational, therapeutic, and vocational training to inmates in local jails to support their successful transition back into their communities upon release. The program emphasizes the use of training, backed by research and found to be effective, to help reduce the chances of reincarceration.
The Fleming Training Center provides water and wastewater treatment operators with education and technical assistance on water/wastewater issues. The Center provides training opportunities for operators to gain the experience and knowledge to become certified after passing the State certification exam. Additionally, the training center offers seminars and other training courses for operators to maintain their […]
The Rural Principal Network (RPN) builds instructional leadership capacity for participants from rural communities throughout the state. This program develops school leaders to address the unique needs of rural schools
PK-12 Career Awareness, Exploration, and Advising ensures that every student has access to high-quality career awareness, exploration, and advising by providing clear expectations for districts and schools, research-based resources (including career assessments and curriculum), implementation supports, and high-quality professional development to support school staff in using resources and analyzing data to support student decision-making. College […]
Tennessee Academy for School Leaders (TASL) is an instructional leadership academy for new administrators that provides learning, support, and networking with the result of administrator license advancement. The purpose of the academy is to instill and reinforce instructional leadership for educational effectiveness. Educators who are in their first three years of an administrative “mandated” role […]
Grow Your Own (GYO) programs are partnerships between local school districts and educator preparation providers that offer students innovative, cost-effective pathways toward a teaching credential, while earning a wage and local employment in a teaching position. These programs aim to address local teacher shortages and create a stronger educator talent pipeline. Programs are designed to […]
Entrepreneur Centers and Network Partners are important resources for Tennessee entrepreneurs and inventors. There are seven entrepreneur centers in cities across the state with specialized resources for the dominant industries in their cities. Network Partners, meanwhile, include statewide and regional organizations that – in collaboration with LaunchTN – provide additional resources and opportunities for entrepreneurs […]
The Seating and Positioning Clinics— located in Greeneville, Nashville, and Arlington— serve children and adults with seating and positioning needs by creating custom therapeutic equipment and modifying existing seating systems. At the clinics, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and equipment fabricators work closely with individuals to support them in a safe and comfortable way, promoting optimal […]
Career and Technical Education (CTE) applies to educational programs that specialize in the skilled trades, applied sciences, modern technologies, and career preparation, some of which result in building trades certificates from National Center for Construction Education and Research.
Tennessee Believes provides grants to higher education institutions to increase the number of inclusive programs that serve students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Grants are awarded to two- or four-year colleges and universities in the state that are committed to launching new programs or enhancing existing programs. These grants are intended to support the strategic […]
Medicaid Alternative Pathways to Independence (MAPs) is a program that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities learn new skills, become employed, live independently, learn about their neighborhoods, and find hobbies that interest them. The services in this program help people identify community interests and resources, build a Virtual Community Resource Map, establish meaningful community […]
Tennessee Fire Service & Codes Enforcement Academy (TFACA) works to plan, develop, deliver and facilitate education and training that promotes professionalism and competency of fire service (both career and volunteer) and codes enforcement personnel through a standardized statewide program. It also facilitates certification for those individuals.
Postsecondary education programs in prison provide academic and career-technical certifications through partnerships with state and local organizations, colleges, and universities.
The Volunteer Firefighter Equipment and Training Grant provides funding to purchase firefighting equipment (other than fire trucks or vehicles) used by firefighters to extinguish fires and protect the lives of firefighters. The program will serve the volunteer fire service in two manners: 1) pay the local match portion for volunteer fire departments receiving a federal […]
Adult Basic Education classrooms are equipped with certified teachers, tutors, and technology, including software to assess grade level and subject proficiency, as well as other software designed to assist students in preparing for testing. Offenders entering TDOC custody without a verifiable diploma or High School Equivalent (HSE) are required to enter ABE. Offenders who are […]
The Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission (P.O.S.T.) Recruiting and Retention Grant Program provides bonuses spread over 36 months to law enforcement officers (both with and without prior experience and certification). The program is designed to support making Tennessee the best state for law enforcement in the United States by attracting quality applicants from other […]
Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy (TLETA) Tuition Assistance Program provides assistance for local law enforcement agencies which includes paid tuition for Basic Police School completed at TLETA, daily working uniforms and physical fitness gear, and additional financial assistance to agencies when their cadets graduate from TLETA. The goal is aiding agencies in having more trained […]
Through funding provided by the Regulatory Board’s Grants to Higher Education Program, accredited public and private universities with schools of architecture, engineering, and/or interior design may apply for grant funds to be used for the purchase of computers, laboratory or instructional equipment, library resources, to pay intern development program fees or examination fees, or to […]
The Regulatory Boards Education and Outreach programs are outreach opportunities directed toward licensees and consumers, including, but not limited to speaking to licensees, presenting at association meetings, and disseminating newsletters and press releases to the general public. The purpose of these activities is to promote increased knowledge among licensed professionals and the public to increase […]
TDA offers scholarships to participants who earn their master’s certification through the University of Tennessee’s and Tennessee State University’s educational programs related to Tennessee’s agricultural industry. These programs are designed to provide hands-on experience in current management practices that are important to the profitability and sustainability of the industry.
The Agricultural Enterprise Fund (AEF) is a grant program that supports job creation and economic development in Tennessee’s agriculture and forestry sector. It supports efforts to increase farm income, boost access to markets, expand the capacity of existing agricultural and forestry businesses, and market new technological innovation with the potential to impact Tennessee’s agriculture or […]
