Overview
This leadership panel explored the complexities of Tennessee's talent landscape, emphasizing the necessity of skilled workforce development in maintaining competitiveness in a dynamic economic environment. The discussion provided valuable insights into creating a more agile and resilient workforce, not just for Tennessee but as a model for nationwide strategies.
Moderated by Liliana Ramirez, Director of Workforce Development at Ford Motor Company, the session, brought together leading figures from academia and industry to explore solutions for building a resilient and skilled workforce.
Key Session Insights
Bridging education and industry—higher education and business have a symbiotic relationship that is best when collaborative. Without R1 research universities, community colleges, and technical schools, employers are handcuffed without the talent they need to discover and scale new innovations, products, and services. However, educational programs need to be responsive to industry demands to ensure relevant skill development. In turn, employers are responsible for guiding educational priorities, as well as motivating students with good-paying jobs upon the completion of degree programs. Additionally, employers have a big responsibility in training their workforce, no matter the level of formal education those workers may have had. For higher education and employers to build Tennessee’s next-generation workforce, “radical collaboration” is needed.
Ford Motor Company’s Director of Workforce Development Liliana Ramirez defined radical collaboration as intense and innovative cooperation between individuals, organizations, or entities to achieve common goals or objectives, going beyond traditional forms of collaboration by encouraging open-mindedness and creativity. Taking this approach can reap enormous benefits for educators, for employers like Ford, for students, and for every resident of Tennessee.
“Radical collaboration often involves diverse stakeholders coming together, sharing resources, ideas, and responsibilities in a collective effort to drive significant change or solve complex problems…My role at Ford is to prepare the workforce, ensuring employees have the skills needed to perform their jobs.”
Liliana Ramirez
Director of Workforce Development, Ford Motor Company
Radical partnerships and in-depth community engagement are critical. Jothany Reed, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the Tennessee Board of Regents, highlighted the partnership between the Tennessee Board of Regents, specifically at their Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Stanton campus, and the Ford Motor Company to develop a new curriculum to train EV workers, particularly to support Ford’s new BlueOval City. Reed shared that other companies—like Nissan—have also expressed interest in similar programs, showing that this is not a one-off occurrence. Both educators and employers are recognizing that aligning educational programs with industry demands creates better outcomes for workers and employers alike. Partnerships like the one forged by Ford and TCAT Stanton to tailor training to employer needs should be scaled and replicated, both in Tennessee and across the United States.
“We know one of the biggest challenges that people in rural communities face is access to education and workforce training. The integrated ecosystem that we have designed at TCAT Stanton, our relationship with Ford and the Tennessee Department of Labor, and our university partners are going to respond to that traditional challenge—meeting that rural workforce need.”
Jothany Reed
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Tennessee Board of Regents
The conversation also explored how workforce education is not uniform, and programs to meet the needs of students and employers should take many forms and be community-oriented.One big question the panel tackled was how students begin to identify a pathway to employment earlier in their studies. University of Memphis President Bill Hardgrave offered an example of how this is underway at the University of Memphis. In a novel approach, the University of Memphis has created a its own school district with programs running from pre-K to the doctoral level, creating a continuum of education so that foundations can be laid and built upon intentionally.
The panel then examined the question of how to create a roadmap to employment for all students, no matter their level of educational attainment. Joe Bales, Middle Tennessee State University Vice President for University Advancement, offered an example of how this is unfolding at his institution, where a mechatronics program has been built in cooperation with industry employers and has paths to employment at every educational level. The program’s curriculum is tailored to the local economic conditions of those communities primarily served by Middle Tennessee State. In this way, Middle Tennessee State has become a driver of change, innovation, and prosperity for the communities it serves and Tennessee as a whole.
“The employees in our training facilities—all of whom may have a high school diploma, may have gone to a technical school, or may want to pursue an advanced degree—have to continue to pay bills. They have to raise their family. Finding ways to get them through the education and training system, outside of the traditional four-year model, is going to be imperative.”
Joe Bales
Vice President for University Advancement, Middle Tennessee State University
On the topic of empowering the vulnerable and breaking educational silos, the panel discussed the challenge of stepping back into education after stepping away, exploring and sharing “on ramps” available in Tennessee for non-traditional students. There are many reasons, from cost to family priorities to health issues, that may cause students to sideline their education and training. In fact, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) reported in 2023 that the college graduation rate was only 62.2 percent nationwide. Additionally, many in the workforce want to upskill to improve their employment opportunities, but it can be difficult to step back into formal education once out of it. The panel made the case for greater access to “on ramps” back into education and training. Building on that idea, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Denice Thomas surfaced a range of provocative ideas, including: (1) creating accessible pathways for vulnerable populations, emphasizing the importance of short-term, impactful educational opportunities that can quickly enhance employability, and (2) extending to the public the benefit from the guidance counseling and career advisory services available to current students.
"Open a window. For example, who said you cannot have a career in nuclear energy? We need to create adult pathways, not just pathways for students."
Deniece Thomas
Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
The panel also discussed the need for a systematic approach to workforce development and to break down educational silos. The silos in the educational system prevent cross-collaboration and mobility for many students. President Hardgrave shared it has been historically difficult to move from a technical college to a four-year university, for example, despite the flexibility and advantages such mobility could bring to schools and students. By identifying the barriers and breaking them down, we can make the educational system more closely resemble a continuum of opportunities, rather than discrete, separated institutions. This change would be transformative for people who cannot complete their formal education in traditional formats or timeframes, and who need the additional options to succeed.
“Why have we not made it easy to go from two-year to four-year institutions? We need to break the silos. We built them. We can tear them down.”
Bill Hardgrave
President, University of Memphis
