Workforce and education initiatives needed to help Nashville region remain competitive
As part of our 2018 Vital Signs report, the Chamber’s Research Center analyzed the workforce and education outlook for residents in the Nashville region.
These aspects of life in Middle Tennessee are key if we want to maintain the current growth that we’re experiencing.
Workforce development includes two key components:
- Attracting and retaining talent to the region;
- Making sure our education system prepares pre-K-12 students for future careers and supports postsecondary attainment by adult learners.
First, some highlights from the last decade:
- The unemployment rate in the Nashville MSA has dropped from 10.1% in July 2009 to 3.2% in July 2018.
- The Nashville MSA is above the national average for educational attainment of bachelor’s and other graduate or professional degrees. 22.2% of Nashville MSA residents have a bachelor’s degree and 12.3% have a graduate or professional degree. This is compared to a 20.7% average for bachelor’s degrees in the United States and 11.9% for graduate or professional degrees.
- High school graduation rates have increased from 72.6% in 2008 to 80.2% in 2018, due in part to the implementation of the Academies of Nashville program which helps connect high school students with future careers through industry certifications and postsecondary opportunities.
These strides forward are helping keep Nashville competitive against peer cities. But there are areas of improvement that can strengthen our economy and make sure everyone has a chance to participate in our region’s growth.
In particular, there are earnings discrepancies between racial and ethnic groups that correlate with disparities in educational attainment. Nashvillians living below the poverty line are more likely to have less than high school education and be people of color than residents with a higher level of education
Overall, African Americans and American Indians earn less per month than White residents of the Nashville MSA.
To increase the educational attainment of Nashville residents, and increase their average earnings, the Chamber and the region as a whole have implemented several initiatives.
First is the Middle Tennessee Reconnect Community. This program that helps connect adult learners with postsecondary education to either start or complete a degree or certification program was created through the Tennessee Reconnect Act. This act, passed in 2017, provides tuition-free community college to adults that do not already have a degree. The Reconnect Community includes completion coaches that provide support to students looking to earn their first degree or certificate from NSCC or TCAT.
Furthermore, the Lumina Foundation designated Nashville as a Talent Hub in 2017. This designation shows that a community has the capacity to significantly increase the number of residents with postsecondary credentials. The Talent Hub designation will particularly focus on Nashville Promise Zone neighborhoods to eliminate education disparities among African-Americans, Hispanics and American Indians.
For pre-k-12 education, the Chamber works every year to release the Education Report Card which not only tracks student achievement data but also makes recommendations to improve the way Metro Nashville Public Schools functions. The 2018 Education Report Card’s special topic is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). You can attend the presentation of this year’s report on December 18 by registering here.
If Nashville is to maintain our level of growth, we need to make sure our residents are prepared for the jobs of the future. The Chamber’s work, along with our community partners, will help us reach that goal.