Tennessee: State of the State

Eastern Seaboard Apprenticeship Conference Report 2024-25

The state established the Tennessee Office of Apprenticeship in 2019 with federal Apprenticeship State Expansion (ASE) grant funding. In 2022, the United States Department of Labor designated Tennessee as a State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA).

The Tennessee State Apprenticeship Agency (TNSAA) operates under the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. TNSAA staff members are committed to developing high-quality apprenticeship programs and providing technical support and training for programs and apprentices throughout the state. All new programs and any modifications to existing ones undergo a rigorous review process to ensure they meet the highest standards. The director of the Tennessee State Apprenticeship Agency grants final approval for these programs, providing a seal of quality that stakeholders can trust.

 

Initially, the office had four staff members, including a state director who additionally served as the east regional director, two regional directors, and one administrative assistant.

 

With the SAE grant, TNSAA established the position of Program Grants Manager, which covered the salary and benefits for this role. After the grant concluded in 2024, the state took over funding for the salary and benefits of the Program Grants Manager.

 

 

Currently, TNSAA has nine full-time staff:

 

• One State Director

 

• Nine Regional Directors (ATR)

 

• One Assistant Director (Quality Assurance Director) o One Grants Manager

 

o One Programs Analyst (administrative support) o One Office Manager (administrative support)

 

o  One Apprenticeship Specialist (administrative support)

 

Our partnership with nine local workforce development boards illustrates our commitment to a comprehensive and inclusive approach to apprenticeship programs. We offer incentives to registered apprenticeship employers and pre-apprenticeship programs and allocate funds to these local boards for distribution. This collaboration enhances our efforts to integrate services for both employers and apprentices.

 

Tennessee has established a state-certified pre-apprenticeship program that requires a partnership with a registered apprenticeship program. The registered apprenticeship program will interview any pre-apprentice who completes their training. Funding incentives are available for pre-apprenticeship programs.

 

• Key Initiatives

 

At TNSAA, our primary goal is to develop new registered apprenticeships and expand existing ones in key industries such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing, hospitality and tourism, and clean energy. This proactive approach reflects our commitment to workforce development and the growth of these essential sectors.

 

TNSAA is dedicated to educating and partnering with workforce service organizations to foster a sense of inclusion and collaboration among stakeholders. Strengthening these essential partnerships is crucial for providing quality apprenticeship programs throughout the state.

 

We aim to secure the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula (SAEF) and competitive funding. A portion of this funding will be allocated to continue providing incentives for employers and to support pre-apprenticeship programs. Additionally, we will manage the registration status of programs without apprentices by either deregistering or reactivating them.

 

• Statistics

 

• 2024-2025 Statistics (July 1 – June 30)

 

• Number of Active Apprentices: 9,701

 

• Number of Programs: 444

 

• Number of New Apprentices: 2,667

 

• Number of Completed Apprentices: 637

 

• Number of New programs: 23

 

• Number of Pre-apprenticeship Programs: 127

 

• 2023-2024 Statistics (July 1 – June 30)

 

• Number of Active Apprentices: 9,685

 

• Number of Programs: 421

 

• Number of New Apprentices: 4,543

 

• Number of Completed Apprentices: 1,242

 

• Number of New programs: 50

 

• Occupations Added to Existing Sponsors: 65

 

• 2023-2024 Pre-apprenticeship Statistics (July 1 – June 30)

 

• Number of Active Pre-apprentices: 383

 

• Number of Programs: 123

 

• Number of Completed Pre-apprentices: 179

 

• Number of New programs: 66

 

• 2023-2024 Teachers (July 1 – June 30)

 

• Number of Active Apprentices: 591

 

• Number of New Apprentices: 442

 

• Number of Completed Apprentices: 188

 

• Total Number of Apprentices Registered Since Start of Programs: 961 o Teacher Aides: 32

 

 

 

		State FY 2023-			State FY 2024-
Number of		2024			2025
Active Apprentices		9,685			9,701
Programs	421			444
New Apprentices		4,543			2,667
Completed Apprentices	1,242			637
New programs		50			23
Occupations Added to Existing Sponsors	65			23
Active Pre-apprentices		383			383
Total Pre-apprenticeship Programs	123			127
Completed Pre-apprentices		179			0
New programs	66			5
Teacher Apprentices
Active Apprentices		591
New Apprentices	442
Completed Apprentices		188
Teacher Aides	32
Total of Teacher Apprentices Registered		961

 

 

• Industry Information: Percentage of Programs Per Industry

 

	Industry	Percentage of Programs
	Construction	35%
	Manufacturing	20%
	Educational Services	9%
	Other Services (except Public Administration)	6%
	Health Care and Social Assistance	5%
	Utilities	4%
	Administrative and Support and Waste Management Services	4%
	Public Administration	4%
	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	3%
	Retail Trade	2%
	Wholesale Trade	2%
	Transportation and Warehousing	2%
	Information	1%
	Finance and Insurance	1%
	Accommodation and Food Services	1%
	Mining	1%
	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	0.45%
	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	0.23%

 

 

 

• Partnerships – State and others

 

• Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Workforce Services

 

• Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Adult Education o Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Office of Re-entry o Tennessee Department of Education

 

o Tennessee Board of Regents (College System) o Tennessee Higher Education Commission

o Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development o Tennessee Department of Human Services

 

o Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities o Tennessee Department of Corrections

 

o Nine Local Workforce Development Boards o State Workforce Board

 

o  State Industry Task Groups

 

Other Non-State Organizations (e.g., community agencies, Better Business Bureau, Urban League, non-profits, etc.) as applicable

 

• Legislation

 

Currently, there are no pending legislative actions

 

• Budget

 

Tennessee provides ongoing funding from the state, supplemented by federal grants, including the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula (SAEF) funding. The state allocates these funds to nine local workforce development boards, which then distribute the money to employers to help offset some of the costs associated with training apprentices. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the Tennessee State Apprenticeship Agency (TNSAA) budget is approximately $2 million.

 

TNSAA also offers Workforge, an online training platform, as an option for related technical instruction (RTI) to new programs. Tennessee makes Workforge available to employers at no cost for the first year.

 

• Office Operations, conferences, and other costs: $35,519.00 o Staff salaries, benefits, training, and travel: $1,020,533.20 o Employer incentives: $1,127,786.80

 

	Line Item			Budget			Estimated Exp. Thru Dec.
	Salaries/Benefits/Travel			$	1,011,118.20		$	650,000.00
	Printing/Communications/Supplies		$		35,519.00	$		20,000.00
	Contractual			$	1,127,786.80		$	327,000.00
	Staff Training		$		9,415.00	$		6,000.00

 

 

Total

 

 

$          2,183,839.00

 

 

$1,003,000.00

 

 

 

• Grants/Funding

 

• SAEF Base Formula Only

 

• State Funding – reoccurring

 

• Goals

 

• Increase new apprenticeship program sponsors by 5% over last year.

 

• Increase completed apprentices statewide by 10% over last year.

 

• Increase number of Certified Pre-apprenticeship program statewide by 10% over last year.
• Increase statewide business and employer engagement activities by 5% over last year.

 

• Accomplishments

 

• Tennessee was the first to register the teacher apprenticeship program. Tennessee has registered the most teacher apprentices in the nation.
• The Tennessee Board of Nursing approved the student nursing apprenticeship for licensure.

 

• Trends

 

Tennessee has experienced steady growth year over year in both programs and apprentices. From 2019 to 2024, the office added 236 new programs and 241 new occupations to existing sponsors. In the 2023 -2024 state fiscal year, the office added 67 new occupations to existing sponsors, marking the highest number in any one year. This growth trend is a testament to the increasing popularity and effectiveness of apprenticeship programs in Tennessee.

 

New Sponsors and New Occupations Added to Existing Sponsors

 

*State Year	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Occupations	38	39	42	33	67
Sponsors	30	35	52	50	50

*The Tennessee state fiscal year is July 1 – June 30.

 

• State Apprenticeship Council

 

The State of Tennessee established the Tennessee Apprenticeship Council as an advisory group composed of individuals from employer and employee organizations with expertise in apprenticeable occupations.

 

The council’s responsibilities include advising the Office of Apprenticeship on the duties outlined in TCA § 50-11-104 and conducting community outreach and education to promote the advantages of apprenticeship programs.

 

 

 

The Tennessee Apprenticeship Council consists of eleven (11) members, as follows:

 

 

• The Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, or the Commissioner’s designee;

 

• The Commissioner of Education, or the Commissioner’s designee;

 

• The Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents or the Chancellor’s designee;

 

• The Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission or the Executive Director’s designee;

 

• Three members representing employer organizations, appointed by the governor, at least one (1) of whom represents a private sector employer organization and one (1) of whom represents a public sector employer organization;

 

• Three members representing employee organizations, appointed by the governor, at least one (1) of whom represents a private sector employee organization and one (1) of whom represents a public sector employee organization; and

 

• One member appointed by the governor is a public representative knowledgeable about apprenticeships and apprenticeable occupations.