How Local Community Colleges are Helping Employers Upskill, Reskill and Retool Their Workforce

As Middle Tennessee begins to reopen its economy, local employers are looking for ways to educate and retrain their employees as they begin to enter the workplace again. There are many ways employers can upskill, reskill, or retool their workforce during this time. Whether it is sharpening employability skills, completing technical training or continuing education, or expanding the knowledge base of the workforce. There's a variety of online, affordable (sometimes free) and readily available options for employers across the state. See below for offerings from local community colleges including Columbia State, Motlow State, Nashville State, and Volunteer State. For additional COVID-19 resources, click here.

Columbia State

Columbia State Workforce Development is offering FREE training on a diverse list of courses.

Free Courses:

• Creating Web Pages
• Creating WordPress Websites
• Fundamentals of Supervision and Management
• Individual Excellence
• Keys to Effective Communication
• Managing Customer Service
• Marketing Your Business on the Internet
• Personal Finance
• Small Business Marketing on a Shoestring
• Twelve Steps to a Successful Job Search

These courses are free for anyone, as long as you are enrolled by June 30, 2020 and complete 24 hours of self-paced training (per course) within 90 days of registration. Learners are welcome to take as many free courses as they like.

Columbia State is also offering four predesigned training bundles and two create your own bundle options for $49.This programming is tailored towards residents that recently became unemployed. The courses discuss entrepreneurship, redesigning your career, how to build your brand online through Google AdWords, and more! Click here to view the list of courses.

Lastly, Columbia State is also offering the following Online Certification Programs:

• Pharmacy Tech Program - 50 hours
• Certified Clinical Medical Assistant - 140 hours
• Medical Administrative Assistant - 50 hours
• Dialysis Technician - 50 hours
• Electronic Health Records Management - 50 hours
• Veterinary Assistant - 100 hours

Motlow State

Motlow State is offering 10 free courses focused on online professional skills. Enroll online by June 30, 2020 to receive these courses for free. Once enrolled, you will have three months to complete the self-paced online course.

Motlow State has also created the MotlowTrained Relief Fund for community members suffering from any loss of income as a result of COVID-19. The fund was specifically created to offer training through the MotlowTrained program at no cost to those who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 throughout Motlow’s eleven-county service area. The goal is to provide an opportunity for those who are now facing financial hardship to upskill for advancement into higher-paying positions, re-enter the workforce, or make a career pivot. Relief funding for local entrepreneurs will fund training in e-Commerce and digital marketing through our MotlowTrained Small Business Accelerator Academy to help small businesses quickly re-open and recover from the current economic crisis.To learn more about Motlow's Relief Fund training options contact Kathy Parker at kparker@mscc.edu.

Nashville State

Nashville State is also offering FREE training courses.

Free Courses:

• Creating Web Pages
• Creating WordPress Websites
• Fundamentals of Supervision and Management
• Individual Excellence
• Keys to Effective Communication
• Managing Customer Service
• Marketing Your Business on the Internet
• Personal Finance
• Small Business Marketing on a Shoestring
• Twelve Steps to a Successful Job Search

These courses are free for anyone, as long as you are enrolled by June 30, 2020 and complete 24 hours of self-paced training (per course) within 90 days of registration. Learners are welcome to take as many free courses as they like.

Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing

The Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM) at Northeast State is offering a wide range of trainings for the manufacturing industry. Training categories include Directions for WorkKeys Training, Manufacturing, Payment for Testing Services, Safety Training and Workforce Ready Certificate of Completion. To view a full list of available courses, click here.

Volunteer State

Volunteer State is home to Tennessee's only lead OSHA Training Institute Education Center (OTIEC) training. The OTIEC at Vol State recently received approval from OSHA to deliver OSHA trainings via live video formats. Prior to COVID-19, OSHA did not permit the delivery of OSHA trainings via live/online video formats, thus the opportunity to obtain OSHA credentials has expanded for the participants convenience. Please note, these are instructor led courses so they will occur live.

In partnership with the Nashville Area Chamber, Volunteer State is offering a discount to any individual or employer that is a member of the Nashville Area Chamber to complete OSHA courses online. For more information on each course, click the links below. Use promo code CHAMBER to receive 10% off the course fee. If you need assistance, call 615-230-3358 or email osha@volstate.edu.