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More students are completing their degrees at community colleges. That’s good news for the Tennessee Board of Regents, which met Thursday for its quarterly meeting. The TBR system, which includes the state’s 13 public community colleges, has long struggled to raise graduation rates. Among students who started in 2010, for example, 13.6 percent ended up […]

SURGOINSVILLE — Here’s a promise that no four-year college or university can make. If you complete a 12-16 month certificated course at one of the region’s Tennessee College of Applied Technology campuses, there’s almost a 100 percent chance you’ll get a job in your chosen field when you graduate. TCAT President Jerry Young told the […]

If Tennessee wants to increase the number of its residents with a college degree or certificate, one mostly untapped place to look is at ensuring those incarcerated leave prison with an education. That is at least one area of focus listed in a report released Tuesday by Complete Tennessee, the nonprofit’s third on the Volunteer State’s state […]

When the Chemours chemical plant in New Johnsonville, Tennessee, needed workers to maintain its high-tech machinery, it advertised for them as far as 90 miles away in Nashville in one direction and 150 miles away in Memphis on the other.It still couldn’t fill the jobs. “You just can’t find anybody because people don’t want to […]

The College System of Tennessee keeps raising the bar to challenge students in an open-access system to perform better and thrive. Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect have made it possible for virtually every Tennessean to pursue a college degree or credential that will transform their lives forever. But removing the financial obstacles to higher education […]

Custodian offered scholarship following viral video Last month the internet was introduced to James Anthony, a custodian at Hickerson Elementary School, through a viral video of his being surprised by the school’s kindergarten class with an American Sign Language rendition of “Happy Birthday.” The video warmed the hearts of the thousands of people who watched […]

Jim Bare never used to spend his Friday nights working on math. Now, he does it willingly — often with the rest of his family. In September, Jim, 65, signed up for his first semester of Volunteer State Community College under the Tennessee Reconnect program. His daughter also enrolled there. So did her husband. And […]

CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Candy maker Mars marked two milestones on Tuesday at its M&M’s production plant here — the start of a $142 million expansion and 40 years in Bradley County. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said that Mars, the fifth largest private company in America, could expand anywhere but continues to choose Cleveland. “They keep […]

‘Your Skills. Your Future.’ expands in East Tennessee McMinn County is turning to its neighboring county in Bradley to help resolve two critical labor concerns in East Tennessee: a dwindling workforce and a need for qualified workers at local manufacturing facilities. The McMinn County Economic Development Authority recently agreed to adopt a job skills promotional […]

More than 500 students graduate from high school in Cumberland County each year.  Some students continue forward with their education, enrolling in a four-year university or utilizing the Tennessee Promise program to earn a two-year degree or occupational certificate at one of the state’s community colleges or a college of applied technology. But data shows […]