Tennessee is one of the 10 states selected to participate in New Skills for Youth (NSFY), an initiative enhancing state efforts to increase the number of kids across the country who are prepared for success in both college and career. NSFY is a $75 million, five-year initiative developed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in collaboration with the Council of Chief State School Officers, Advance CTE and Education Strategy Group.
In Phase One of the initiative, the Tennessee NSFY team worked within established career readiness initiatives such as Pathways TN and Drive to 55 to map assets and establish strategies for scaling high-quality career pathways statewide. The NSFY team in Tennessee is working to put students on track to fill high-wage, high-demand positions with an overhaul of the state’s career pathways system that includes better accountability mechanisms as well as a range of supports — including scholarships and grants — for students and school districts.
Phase Two of the NSFY initiative began in January 2017. This snapshot profiles Tennessee’s progress in the first year of Phase Two, including:
- Developing regional career pathways: Working with the results of a statewide evaluation of academic and Career Technical Education (CTE) courses, the state is implementing new standards for technical courses in line with regional strategic plans.
- Aligning Pathways TN with Drive to 55: The state NSFY team is promoting a comprehensive approach to career readiness by ensuring that two of the state’s major programs are working toward common goals.
- Improving rigor and accountability: Tennessee is aligning its offerings with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), removing courses that are not shown to be adequately challenging or aligned with economic needs and implementing new ways for schools to measure career readiness.
To learn more about this work, read Tennessee’s NSFY Phase One Snapshot.
