Category: Uncategorized

More than 60 Students Ink with Companies on Blount County Job Signing Day

Posted on May 14, 2024 by - Uncategorized

Alex Schroetke walks through the tunnel during Blount County Job Signing Day

More than 60 students from area high schools took part in the sixth annual Blount County Job Signing Day activities at the Airport Hilton as they inked with 29 local employers to begin their careers.

These seniors either took career and technical education (CTE) courses on a career pathway, earned an industry certification in school, or participated in work-based Learning (WBL).

Alex Schroetke walks through the tunnel during Blount County Job Signing Day

“This event dispels the misperception that every student needs to go to a four-year university for a good job,” said Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell. “These students have excelled in the classroom and in the work environment while in high school and are launching their full-time careers right now. We need to continue to promote the fact that there are many different pathways to highly skilled, high-paying jobs. It also represents the notion that we have the best rising workforce in our community, and we want to keep our young people right here in our community.”

Students are taking positions in welding, media production, construction, nursing, cosmetology, advanced manufacturing, electrical apprenticeships, and more.

Some of the companies offering these students positions are DENSO, Blackberry Farm, Danny Davis Electrical, Blount Memorial Hospital, Cherokee Millwright, ICC International, TVA, RIX, Roger L. Newman, Massey Electric, Murphy Bobcat, Harrison Construction, Haven Media, Axis Fabrication and Machine Co., and Garner’s Automotive.

Presented by the Blount Partnership, signing day promotes the notion that although every student’s path may be different, and sometimes nontraditional, there are opportunities for meaningful careers in Blount County. It also celebrates the fact that there are multiple opportunities for high school students to explore and begin preparing for careers. Some students are going on to start their careers full-time, some are going to continue a combination of school and work, and some are going to work now with the plan of starting school later.

“We have worked with educators, businesses and the community to change the perceptions of certain careers that were labeled as dirty and dangerous with low pay,” said Blount Partnership Director of Communications Jeff Muir. “We have managed to show students these jobs can be high-tech, safe, high-paying careers. We are seeing that work come to fruition as the mentality is really changing and career and technical education is being valued.”

Success in 90 Feedback Form

Posted on May 5, 2024 by - Uncategorized

Thank you for attending our latest Success in 90 Workshop. We would appreciate you taking a few moments to answer a few questions about it so we can plan for future sessions.

Success in 90 Feedback

The topic was of interest to you.(Required)
The speaker was knowledgeable about the topic.(Required)
I am able to take this information back to the workplace and use it.(Required)
I will likely return to the next Success in 90 workshop.(Required)
Would you attend other workshops conducted by this presenter?

Blount Co. Receives $1.6 million to Improve Broadband

Posted on May 2, 2024 by - Uncategorized

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter announced the state will award $162.7 million in broadband and digital opportunity grants.

In total, these investments will provide broadband access and digital opportunity programs to more than 236,000 Tennesseans across 92 counties.

“Broadband is essential to all Tennesseans, and that’s why we are making strategic investments in our state’s broadband infrastructure and digital opportunity programs to create a pathway to education, job training and greater opportunity statewide,” said Gov. Lee. “I thank the Financial Stimulus Accountability Group for their continued support and management of these broadband dollars.”

With today’s announcement, TNECD has invested more than $715 million to expand the state’s broadband infrastructure, connecting more than 689,000 Tennesseans across 275,000 residential and business locations.

“More than $715 million has been invested to expand broadband under Governor Lee’s administration, and we are excited to announce additional funding today that will ensure
Tennesseans have access to and benefit from high-speed internet, which opens the door to high-quality job training,” said Commissioner McWhorter.

Today, a total of $97.2 million is being funded by the Last Mile and Middle Mile infrastructure programs, and $65.5 million will be invested in digital opportunity programs. These initiatives are part of a broader strategy to ensure that all residents have access to high-speed internet by 2028, and have opportunities to develop digital skills, access high-quality tech jobs, connect to broadband enabled devices and access online learning and telehealth resources.

TNECD’s investment of $97.2 million in broadband infrastructure will provide access to more than 58,200 Tennesseans across 23,000 locations in 37 counties.

To promote broadband opportunity and high-paying digital jobs, TNECD launched four new programs during this funding opportunity: Digital Skills, Employment and Workforce
Development (DSEW), Connected Community Facilities (CCF), Broadband Ready Communities (BRC) and Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Broadband Workforce grants.

The DSEW grants, totaling $27.9 million, will be distributed among 47 organizations that will offer a variety of training and education programs to advance digital skills and workforce development, creating a pipeline for well-paying digital jobs.

The CCF grants, totaling $26.5 million, will be distributed among 19 local governments and will facilitate digital opportunity by construction and renovation of spaces that offer services for digital advancement in workforce, healthcare, and education.

The BRC grants, totaling $6 million, will be distributed among 64 local governments and support community-based digital skills training, public Wi-Fi projects, distribution of free or low-cost devices and marketing for low-cost internet plans.

The TCAT Broadband Workforce grants, totaling $4.9 million, will be distributed among five TCATs that will offer a Telecommunications Electronics Technician diploma. The objective of the program will be to produce a well-trained and diverse telecommunications workforce capable of deploying and managing broadband infrastructure.

Grantees across all programs are investing approximately $48 million in matching funds and will complete their projects by December 31, 2026.

Below is a list of the recipients for the latest round of funding:

  1. Spectrum Southeast
    $291,729.98 – Serving parts of Blount County
  2. Blount County
    $100,000.00
  3. Maryville College
    $776,814.00 – Serving parts of Blount County
  4. University of Tennessee
    $512,916.00 – Serving parts of Knox, Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cocke,
    Cumberland, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe,
    Morgan, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier and Union Counties

Smartphone Apps Small Business Can Use to be Successful

Posted on May 1, 2024 by - Uncategorized

In celebration of National Small Business Week from April 28 to May 4, 2024, UScellular applauds the entrepreneurial spirit of the more than 33 million businesses in the United States.

Modern small businesses increasingly embrace new technologies to realize their dreams, simplify daily operations and ultimately fuel the growth of all businesses in our communities.

Of all the technology solutions available to small business entrepreneurs, the best may be the device they have right in their hands – their smartphone. There are many apps and resources that business owners can leverage when using their smartphones, including:

Networking: The Bumblebizz app provides a secure platform to connect with other professionals within and outside your industry. Quickly establish connections with fellow entrepreneurs who have succeeded in your field or encountered similar challenges as small business owners. After building these relationships, use apps like Microsoft Teams and Google Meet to put a face to a name and engage in more in-depth conversations.

Finances: Making use of tools like FreshBooks, you can manage your own finances and cash flow. In addition, you could generate profit and loss reports and organize your booking so you are ready for tax season with QuickBooks.

Marketing: Finding the tools to help build content that small businesses may not have the time or budget to manage on their own is more straightforward than you might think. From social posts and mailers to flyers and digital signage, Marq is an all-in-one solution for creating engaging marketing content that can drive growth for a business.

Time Management: Small businesses can efficiently manage both work and personal responsibilities with the help of apps like TimeTree. This app allows users to create multiple calendars, such as work, family and community volunteer time. Not only can you share and coordinate schedules with business colleagues and your family, but you also can engage in chats and share photos.

For more than 60 years, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has celebrated National Small Business Week, which acknowledges the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.

University of Tennessee launches College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies

Posted on April 18, 2024 by - Uncategorized

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) creates a talent pipeline for local companies, and for years it has been sustainable. However, things started to shift once artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning hit the workplace. Now, everything is changing, and the skills of emerging young professionals need to change, too.

According to the Technology Skills Gap survey by the Knoxville Chamber and the Knoxville Technology Council, local businesses want to hire people with AI skills and would be willing to pay them more. Young professionals cite a lack of good-paying jobs in the city, and according to the 2023 Career Outcomes Report generated by UTK, the median salary for a graduating student is $56,384.

Enter UTK’s new College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies (CECS), created to train students to be innovative, technology-forward thinkers in any field or industry they enter. The new college will produce competitive applicants with relevant, timely skills that businesses are looking for and provide students with the higher salary positions they seek.

Read entire article from Teknovation.biz