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 learners across the country who are prepared for success in both college and career. NSFY is a $75 million national initiative developed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in collaboration with the Council of Chief State School Officers, Advance CTE and Education Strategy Group.
In the first two years of the initiative, the Tennessee NSFY team scaled a regional approach to developing and refining high-quality career pathways. The Tennessee Department of Education also designed and launched a new college and career readiness indicator in the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act accountability system for high schools. In 2018, the Tennessee NSFY team focused on:
- Establishing a statewide career pathways certification program: Under the newly rebranded Tennessee Pathways initiative, Tennessee established standards and criteria for certifying high-quality career pathways.
- Hiring and training regional career pathways coordinators: In partnership with the Tennessee Board of Regents, the Tennessee NSFY team hired and trained nine regional coordinators, who act as the main points of contact between education and industry in their regions.
- Aligning the delivery of regional career pathways across education, workforce development and economic and community development: The Tennessee NSFY team worked across agencies to designate regions and align goals for career pathways development and delivery.
To read more about the 10 New Skills for Youth states, visit the 2018 NSFY Snapshots series page.
