News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Apprenticeships rapidly increasing in popularity across Tennessee and across the Upper Cumberland.
A new study completed by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office showed the number of apprenticeships nearly doubled in the last ten years, with much of the growth 2021. Workforce Connections Assistant Director Jeremiah Miller said the rise in apprenticeships is due to the validation they provide once they are completed.
“Because these programs are registered with the Department of Labor,” Miller said. “Once an apprentice completes that program they receive a journeyman credential certificate that can go with them even if they decide to leave that company.”
Miller said over the past three years 33 apprenticeship programs have been developed across the Upper Cumberland. Miller said apprenticeships are better than other forms of training because they give the employee an accurate depiction of the job.
“Most businesses already have a training plan for their employees,” Miller said. “However, what an apprenticeship program does is put that training plan on paper. Which causes more transparency between the company and the employees.”
Miller said in most cases the apprenticeship opportunities do not require any form of higher education.
“The great thing about these apprenticeship programs is that they are flexible enough to meet the employer’s specific needs,” Miller said. “Depending on the company and its requirements really dictates the education needed, however, for most of the companies I have worked with there is no specific education required.”
From 2014 through 2023, the number of active registered apprentices in Tennessee grew from 4,300 to 8,423. Some typical apprenticeship programs in the Upper Cumberland are HVAC, Electrician, and CNA programs. Miller said the state is currently developing an apprenticeship program called Grow Your Own.
The program is designed to address the teacher shortage throughout the state.
