TN-CAPS Makes News Across Tennessee
February 11, 2020
The TN-CAPS system has been making news across the state! In addition to the articles listed below, see these additional news items:
In the fall of 2019, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced the launch of TN-CAPS, a partnership with other experienced education and workforce organizations to offer a career-based curriculum for educators. Collierville Partners in Education (PIE) is coordinating...
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Administrators with the Tennessee Career Awareness and Preparation System, TN-CAPS, provided Hamilton County Schools educators and guests a guided tour of a new interactive web portal that provides free, localized, career-focused lesson plans designed to help students...
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With aspirations to be a YouTuber or gamer, elementary students as young as kindergartners are aware of careers, jobs and making money, Denmark Elementary counselor Tina Williams said Monday during a guided tour of TN Career Awareness and Preparation System (TN-CAPS)...
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Kingsport Rolls Out TN-CAPS in Area Schools
Kingsport Times News, January 21, 2020
A group of Kingsport City Schools teachers and administrators got a look Thursday at Tennessee Career Awareness and Preparation System (TN-CAPS), a new career portal that will provide lesson plans tailored to local business and industry.
“This is the passion, purpose and possibilities,” Moorhouse told teachers shortly before they began the presentation of the online portal. He said he envisions the program as helping “that kid” understand the practical applications for the math he or she is trying but struggling to learn, something Moorhouse said he struggled with as a teacher.
Lora Barnett, executive director of government relations and workforce development for the Kingsport chamber, said representatives from Eastman, Domtar, Brock and Silgan Closures, all with operations Kingsport; Myake Forging and Cooper Standard, both in the Phipps Bend Industrial Park near Surgoinsville; and Partha Industrial in Piney Flats attended the Thursday meeting. So did Lynn Tully, Northeast Tennessee regional director for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
See the more about the session here.
School Leaders Publish Support of Career Awareness and TN-CAPS Program
The Tennessean, December 17, 2019
Several leading school district superintendents in TN have published a opinion article voicing their support for increased career education in all grades in school. They stated that "The evolving demands of Tennessee’s competitive labor market, along with advancements in technology, require a continued emphasis on rigorous academics in our schools, while exploring and trying new approaches for skills development and career preparation for our students. In rural parts of the Volunteer state, many children aren’t exposed to the types of high-skilled jobs that already exist or may be coming to their regions. We all know – you can’t be, what you can’t see."
They pointed to the TN-CAPS program as a particluar way to achieve this goal. "By providing classroom-ready career resources for teachers, linking careers to lesson plans, and providing actionable engagement with regional employers, TN-CAPS will help connect students earlier on in their education to career opportunities within their own communities."
The article was signed by Bill Spurlock, Director of Rutherford County Schools; Dr. Bryan Johnson, Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools, and Dr. Russell Dyer, Superintendent of Cleveland City Schools.
See the publication in the Tennessean here.
Jackson Chamber introduces New Program to Inspire Students for Career Opportunities
WBBJ-TV, January 7, 2020
The Jackson Chamber invited community members out to learn about the Tennessee Career Awareness and Preparation System, also known as TN-CAPS. “I think the more exposure students have to career opportunities and the easier the information is for educators to access it just makes for a good learning opportunity all the way around and it also helps our local businesses generate employees the brightest talent within our school systems and enlighten them to opportunities within businesses in Jackson,” said Vicki Bunch, vice president of Talent Development with the Jackson Chamber.
See video of the event here.
JMCSS to be a Part of Pilot Program for Career Awareness and Preparation through TN Chamber
Jackson Sun, November 15, 2019
The Jackson-Madison County School System was one of six districts selected by the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry to participate in a pilot program, TN Career Awareness and Preparation System (TN-CAPS), because of the district’s efforts in workforce development.
To start in January, the program will connect local businesses with K-12 classrooms to address the skills gap and prepare students for the workforce earlier through a partnership between the state and Jackson Chamber of Commerce.
See the full article here.
TN-CAPS Newsletters Available
You can catch up on previous TN-CAPS news by looking at our newsletters below!
Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry Announces Thinking Media’s Career Awareness & Preparation System
October 1, 2019
As employers across the state of Tennessee continue to project a shortage of qualified workers, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry has identified the need for a new system that will make career awareness and preparation more seamless for students, parents, employers, and educators. Therefore, the Chamber has partnered with other experienced education and workforce organizations to offer a career-based curriculum for educators that illustrate localized career-focused pathways for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
This newest offering, coined the Tennessee Career Awareness & Preparation System (or “TN-CAPS”), will offer a long-term solution to the workforce “skills gap” by providing localized, demand-driven, student-centered resources. This portal will enable teachers to connect students with the needs of local businesses—and businesses to connect with students—in more meaningful ways. Teachers will be able to download classroom-ready, age-appropriate lesson plans that illustrate the tasks common to careers that local businesses desire, and then link to actual local businesses near the specific school. Bradley Jackson, TN Chamber CEO stated, “At the Chamber we continue to hear of the lack of qualified and prepared candidates for jobs in our state from our most prominent employers. We believe the TN-CAPS system will address this by providing great ways for teachers to easily link what they are doing in the classroom with regionally available careers and allow students to gain exposure to the local companies filling that future workforce pipeline."
Chattanooga-based Thinking Media is developing the new system that the Chamber will implement. Thinking Media has created e-Learning tools for more than 20 years that address workforce skill gaps and to expand interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and CS (Computer Science) careers. Thinking Media brands include Learning Blade®, an interactive STEM and Computer Science career awareness toolbox, and both KeyTrain® and Career Ready 101®, now owned by ACT, Inc. as a part of its WorkKeys® Employment System.
The TN-CAPS program is being offered through the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry in partnership with regional chambers as a service to Chamber members to strengthen the viability of local businesses and to aid in regional and statewide workforce development. The Tennessee Chamber plans to recruit businesses and schools to selected pilot locations across the state this winter, with the intent to launch statewide in all 9 economic regions during the fall of 2020.
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About the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry:
Founded in 1912, the Tennessee Chamber and Tennessee Manufacturing Association is one of Tennessee’s oldest and largest statewide legislative business advocacy associations. The Tennessee Chamber maintains a broad array of business, manufacturing, local chamber and economic development agency memberships across Tennessee.
About Thinking Media:
Thinking Media has built scalable solutions for career awareness and preparation for nearly 20 years and has become a key force in skill building for our nation’s workforce and a thought leader in statewide strategies for driving economic prosperity through educational technology. Thinking Media has worked in many states and with various partners including Battelle for Kids, Battelle Education, STEMconnector, and ACT, Inc. to develop some of the most successful career readiness programs in the country.
Media Contacts:
Dr. Jared T. Bigham, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry
jared.bigham@tnchamber.org
706-455-0200
Victoria Robinson, vrobinson@crispcomm.com
615-457-1479