A key prediction that’s guiding Tennessee’s workforce development is the belief that the number of jobs requiring some form of credential or degree will grow at a higher rate than those requiring only a high school diploma.This could be especially true in Nashville and improving the pathways for students to earn those degrees and credentials is at the heart of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce’s four recommendations to improve K-12 education.“We have more jobs now than we have people, so the opportunity for our young people, well-educated, to move into careers and jobs that are not only fulfilling but support their lifestyle in this community has never been greater,” said Chamber and CEO President Ralph Schulz.¶
Schultz and members of the Chamber’s 2023 Education Report Committee unveiled the recommendations Tuesday morning at the downtown Nashville Library.They include encouraging Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) to create a plan to make K-12 postsecondary advising sustainable, ensure the advising strategy identifies how external partners can help, encourage postsecondary advising data collection and analysis, along with a recommendation for local and state elected leaders to address barriers students face to postsecondary enrollment.¶
For this report, the chamber envisions K-12 postsecondary advising as describing how students connect and explore career pathways and receive support in taking tangible steps to turn their college, career certificate, and training program goals into a reality.MNPS has implemented several programs to support postsecondary attainment, including the district’s University MNPS that created partnerships with local colleges and universities. The district also receives grants to support postsecondary advising.Committee member Ellen O’Neal said one challenge the district will face is finding stable funding as grant funding isn’t sustainable long term.“Not all schools and in turn, not all students have access to the same programs, supports, and offerings. To ensure students have the same opportunity for postsecondary success, we need to ensure there are stable supports available at all schools,” said O’Neal.Because of these challenges, the chamber committee says community-based organizations, employers, and postsecondary institutions will all be valuable partners to MNPS.¶
Committee Co-Chair Eric Higgs stressed the importance of this with the chamber’s second recommendation that MNPS utilize a coordinated postsecondary advising strategy to ensure every student is supported.“We’ve got a real opportunity here. We’ve got a huge opportunity to think around how do we optimize the resources that we have across the city,” said Higgs. “In this case we need to coordinate together to make sure that our kids and the resources that they’re getting in this space are going to be there.”This year’s recommendations compliment last year’s education report that encouraged MNPS to to improve the district’s work-based learning program. ¶
