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such as: eliciting from them the most valuable Composites Institute.
• Creating a continuum of activities industry certifications they sought in “When the kids started Monday, they
and career pathways for high-demand future employees and limited instruction hadn’t even used a hand drill before and
occupational clusters as well as to having students attain those. Employers I thought, ‘That’s perfect!” said Pellissippi
entrepreneurial skill and soft-skill also promised to interview those students State Associate Professor Mark Williams.
development completing the training in health sciences, “Now they’re doing things they didn’t think
• Increasing awareness of opportunity and plumbing and pipefitting, and welding, as they could do. They’ve learned they can do
growth within skilled trades careers well as fiber optic and HVAC installation this, they can overcome obstacles, they can
• Engaging employers in the creation and training. TCAT’s efforts can be seen as achieve this.” Pellissippi’s targeted summer
of practicums that can be delivered a model to upskill and reskill employees, sessions this year also included immersive,
in a COVID-19 and post-pandemic not only during times of economic week-long classes in Industrial Maintenance
environment disruption, but also when business processes Electrical, classes in Electrical and
• Supporting educators’ learning in local change, such as when more automation is Mechanical Troubleshooting, and classes in
workplaces introduced into the workplace. Industrial Welding (gas metal arc welding).
• Advocating for continued and expanded Reports showed that the State of Additionally, PSCC held free three-
use of YouScience Tennessee, through its Tennessee Promise day Department of Transportation
• Supporting creation of more internship, and Tennessee Reconnect programs, is (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations
pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship generous in covering tuition for TCAT and Awareness training for workers involved
programs community college degrees, but funding in DOT HazMat Shipping, Receiving and
Declining Enrollment in Community is limited for those seeking industry- Handling, and for those workers who
recognized certifications, with equipment
otherwise deal with hazardous waste
Colleges and testing costs possibly making them materials.
The chamber’s reports say one of the unaffordable for many to attain. Funds On the Public Works front, similarly-
most troubling education-related situations distributed through the American Job inspired efforts included APWA’s PWX@
resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic Center can cover costs for some eligible Home live and online sessions, featuring
“is the drop in enrollment at community individuals, and, again, points to the need events this summer on subjects such as
colleges. Nationwide enrollment this year for a state-funded apparatus that is flexible, “Lessons as First Responders” and “Next-
was down 10 percent, while East Tennessee entrepreneurial and responsive. Generation Traffic Incident Management
community colleges, Pellissippi State and The reports emphasize that state policy (TIM) Training” in which innovative TIM
Roane State, reported declines of roughly must focus more intensively on getting approaches were outlined to help save lives,
13 percent.” individuals quickly trained in vital skills, time and money.
“Declines are particularly sharp among including high-value industry certifications,
first-time students and students of color, that will allow them to gain immediate Dismantling Silos by Sharing Best
raising critical concerns about increasing employment. A key recommendation Practices
inequality in the coming years,” according centers around the creation of targeted The chamber reports state that while
to Stephanie Cellini of the Brown Center training opportunities that are responsive to many ambitious efforts are occurring with
on Education Policy for the Brookings economic conditions, including: these various workforce development
Institution. Loss of income, inability to find • Working with employers to identify strategies, those initiatives often are
childcare during school closures and lack common, frequently acceptable “occurring in silos or on very small
of broadband access for virtual learning certifications scale. Building an infrastructure where
(while campuses were closed) are some of • Creating rapid response teams to upskill stakeholders can share information,
the reasons cited for individuals foregoing and reskill displaced employees (e.g., challenges and solutions is job one.”
community colleges during the pandemic. COVID-19 pandemic) “The act of creating the strategy itself
The pandemic also resulted in the • Providing opportunities to upskill has led to the creation of both formal and
American Job Center moving to work- and reskill employees when business informal networks of individuals who are
from-home status and a decline of processes change seeking to elevate the region’s workforce
services during peak summer months. • Supporting efforts to increase funding for development efforts, knowing that getting
The chamber said officials reported a completion of certifications this right is essential to regional prosperity,”
15-20 percent decline in their caseload the report concludes.
while pandemic-related business closures Innovative Local Programs Underway The full Workforce Redefined Strategy is
resulted in skyrocketing unemployment. In This summer, five Fulton High School available at https://www.knoxvillechamber.
response, the Tennessee College of Applied teens in Knoxville were among the first high com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/
Technology-Knoxville (TCAT-Knoxville) school students in the U.S. to participate in Workforce_Redefined_A_Path_to_
put together in summer 2021 a series a hands-on “boot camp” to learn machining Prosperity_Strategy.pdf
of fast-path training opportunities (i.e. at Pellissippi State Community College The ECO referenced in this article is
accelerated training), scheduled on nights (PSCC). The five-day boot camp was part at https://www.knoxvillechamber.com/
and Saturdays, to “reskill” many laid-off or of the America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) eco-may2021/?_hsmi=132668173&_
underemployed hospitality workers into training program developed by University hsenc=p2ANqtz-_OIjC1sr2Wfd_27KYZX
higher-paying jobs. of Tennessee professor Tony Schmitz and VWQcUS00KsXGIeN6hSCdp3xPQYZz3
TCAT-Knoxville President Kelli Chaney the Institute for Advanced Composites KNXFMRKiT7wia3Tp9xVNWzRj-JAYEl_
worked closely with area employers, Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI)-The RjgLCAYlDIOLQ

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