New Comptroller’s report on registered apprenticeship programs in Tennessee cites key roles community & technical colleges play

Registered apprenticeships for career training are growing rapidly in Tennessee, according to a new report by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, which also highlights the important roles the state’s community and technical colleges play in the apprenticeship process.

Registered apprenticeships are a work-based learning model, certified by the U.S. Department of Labor, that combines supervised on-the-job training, paid work experience, classroom instruction, and mentorship, the Comptroller’s Office of Research and Education Accountability says, enabling apprentices to get formal training in a desired occupation while receiving work experience and pay from an employer.

The full report, “An Overview of Registered Apprenticeships in Tennessee,” details the history and growth of apprenticeships, the federal and state policy strategies fueling them, the broad variety of programs, and the organizations, agencies and institutions involved – including the state’s public colleges and universities.

The report says:

“Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) and community colleges (CCs) play important roles in the apprenticeship process in the state. TCATs and CCs can serve as both sponsors and employers in registered apprenticeship programs, though both institutions primarily serve as sponsors. Nine out of 24 TCATs and 11 of the state’s 13 community colleges operate as either a sponsor or employer for registered apprenticeship programs in Tennessee.

“Additionally, several public universities are also sponsors for registered apprenticeship programs, including the University of Tennessee Knoxville, University of Memphis, and Tennessee State University. These technical colleges, community colleges, and universities are key to providing the required educational experiences for many registered apprenticeships.

“Additionally, the Tennessee Board of Regents created a Center for Apprenticeship to support and provide resources to its institutions for apprenticeships. The center is focused on:

1. increasing college and employer awareness of apprenticeships;

2. Brokering new industry partnerships to expand apprenticeships;

3. Pursuing federal, state, and private funding to grow apprenticeships; and

4. Developing other policies to support apprenticeships programs.”

“We are maximizing collaborative practices and partnerships to ensure the Center for Apprenticeship supports (TBR) Chancellor (Flora) Tydings’ vision to expand registered apprenticeships across the state as an additional workforce development tool to complement our colleges’ academic programs and short-term specialized training,” said Dr. Jothany Reed, vice chancellor of Academic Affairs in the TBR system. “Zachary Adams, assistant vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and Workforce Alignment, is a strategic force in leading the Center to synergize the efforts of our colleges, employers, and partners such as the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, in collaboration with the TBR Center for Workforce Development.”

The Comptroller’s report notes that registered apprenticeship programs exist in many variations and formats, and their length varies by industry, occupation, and employer. The U.S Department of Labor provides three approved apprenticeship models, each ending with the apprentice obtaining a nationally certified credential. On average, apprenticeship programs in Tennessee last for roughly four years, and most are completed within five years.

Although construction- and manufacturing-related occupations currently account for the largest number of registered apprentices in the state, others in the top five include public administration, educational services, and utilities.

The report notes that Tennessee’s “Grow Your Own” registered teacher apprenticeship initiative is a model for other states. Launched in 2022, the initiative is a partnership between school districts and educator preparation providers to expand the teacher pipeline.

The TBR system has partnered with the University of Tennessee’s Grow Your Own Center to establish the state’s first registered apprenticeship for teaching assistants and to recruit our Associate Degree in Teaching graduates into their registered apprenticeship for teachers. These new entry points to the teaching profession create more access for Tennesseans to begin their career in our state’s school systems.

The total number of apprentices served within a fiscal year in Tennessee increased from 5,124 in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2014 to 10,055 in FFY 2023, with the most significant growth since 2021.  The number of active registered apprenticeships (those active in a registered apprenticeship program at the end of the fiscal year) in Tennessee grew from 4,300 to 8,423 during that period.

The report notes that Tennessee had the third highest total number of active apprentices in 2023 among eight Southeastern states, behind Florida with 13,979 and North Carolina with 10,554 but ahead of Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama. Tennessee had the second highest number of active apprentices per 100,000 population among those eight. (Tennessee had 121.7 active apprentices per 100,000 population, behind Mississippi, with reported 135.8 per 100,000.)

Other conclusions in the Comptroller’s report include:

• Apprentices’ wages have grown consistently since 2014.
• The growth in Tennessee’s active apprentice population has been greater than projected since the creation in 2019 of the Office of Apprenticeship at the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the launch in 2020 of Apprenticeship TN, a marketing initiative to raise awareness of registered apprenticeship opportunities for employers and workers.
• Despite recent growth among Tennessee’s registered apprentice population, various limitations remain, including a general lack of awareness and early up-front costs that reduce the ability of small and rural businesses to create registered apprenticeships.