Since 2019, Tennessee’s Apprenticeship TN initiative has registered more than 300 apprenticeship sponsors across the state. Today, more than 5,000 active apprentices between the ages of 16 and 24 are earning while they learn in Tennessee — a number that reflects years of sustained investment in employer relationships, technical instruction, and workforce alignment. The state’s Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology, known as TCATs, serve a dual role: they function as both the primary providers of technical instruction and as registered apprenticeship sponsors themselves, creating a seamless on-ramp from learning to earning that is deeply embedded in the state’s education infrastructure.

Tennessee’s selection for the Apprenticeship America cohort of the federally funded Future Ready Apprenticeship Center is a recognition of that foundation — and an investment in what comes next.

A State with Serious Sector Strength

Tennessee’s apprenticeship programs are strongest in construction and advanced manufacturing, and for good reason: these are industries where employer demand is high, training pathways are well-established, and the case for earn-while-you-learn models is self-evident. Companies like Nissan USA are active coalition partners, bringing the credibility and employer-side commitment that makes programs sustainable at scale.

The state is now extending that strength into new sectors. Healthcare is a priority growth area, and Tennessee is approaching it with serious investment. The state has committed $8.1 million — drawn from shared savings through TennCare — specifically to expand apprenticeships and work-based learning in rural healthcare. That’s a creative funding mechanism that reinvests the state’s previous healthcare dollars back into improving its rural healthcare offerings. Beyond healthcare, Tennessee is building pathways in education, hospitality and tourism, and the public sector.

Connecting High School to the Workforce

Tennessee’s current work is focused on deepening the connection between K-12 systems and registered apprenticeship programming — increasing awareness for guidance counselors and families, helping students address barriers to participation, and facilitating the process of obtaining an apprenticeship. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, which is leading the Apprenticeship America work, is building the cross-system alignment needed to connect high school students directly to registered opportunities before they graduate, not after.

The state’s WIOA State Plan and Perkins V State Plan both include apprenticeship and work-based learning as integrated strategies — a signal that Tennessee’s vision for youth pathways has been formalized at the policy level. The Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee Board of Regents are both at the table, ensuring that what gets built has cross-agency buy-in from the start.

The Labor Standards Unit at TDLWD is also doing proactive work with employers to clarify the regulations around hiring minors — translating what can seem like complex legal terrain into clear, actionable guidance that makes it easier for businesses to say yes to young apprentices. 

“Tennessee has done something genuinely hard: built real employer buy-in and a statewide sponsor network that most states are still trying to achieve,” said Ryan Gensler, Executive Vice President at CareerWise. “The Apprenticeship America cohort gives Tennessee the system-design support to connect those employer relationships to high school students at scale. That’s the missing link — and this is the moment to build it.”

What’s Next

As part of the Apprenticeship America cohort, Tennessee will focus on standardizing youth apprenticeship frameworks across regions and sectors, so that a student’s experience and pathway isn’t dependent on where in the state they happen to live. The state will also develop the data infrastructure needed to track youth outcomes across K-12, postsecondary, and workforce systems — turning strong programs into a measurable, improvable pipeline. And it will continue expanding awareness among students, families, and educators, making the case that registered apprenticeship is a valued, viable pathway to a career and a credential — one that belongs alongside college in every conversation about what comes after high school.

Tennessee has the employers, the TCATs, and the political commitment. Now it’s connecting them into a system that reaches every student.

Learn more about the Future Ready Apprenticeship Center and the Apprenticeship America cohort in our press release.