Tennessee's New 4-Point ED Plan

To drive future job-creation, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen announced a new four-point plan:

Developing a More Skilled Workforce

Bredesen proposed establishing a more direct connection between education and workforce development with new initiatives centered on Tennessee’s community college system. Specifically:

• Launching new partnerships with major employers to design specialized community college programs that lead to jobs. The concept is an outgrowth of recent conversations with Wal-Mart, which said it might consider participating in a retail-management program.
• Creating intensive five-year high school programs that conclude with associate’s degrees. This initiative will be coordinated, in part, through community colleges.
• Eliminating community college tuition for any high school graduate in Tennessee who can demonstrate a reasonable level of college readiness — an incentive also reflected as a key plank in Bredesen’s strategy to raise high school graduation rates.

“Better leveraging Tennessee’s top-notch community college system is one of the best things we can do to improve the quality of our workforce,” Bredesen said.

Investing in New Infrastructure

Bredesen proposed a renewed commitment to opening up rural communities to more economic growth with better traditional and high-tech infrastructure. Specifically:

• Doubling the funding pool for annual FastTrack infrastructure grants from $14 million to $28 million. The grants, offered through the program formerly known as TIIPs, are available for local communities to make infrastructure improvements — such as adding electricity and water — at prospective industrial sites.

• Establishing a new grant fund to help local communities develop custom strategies for expanding broadband technology — a key infrastructure component in the new economy. Bredesen said the state will not promulgate a “one-size-fits-all” approach but will help communities develop their own plans.
• Taking a comprehensive statewide inventory of infrastructure needs in order to guide future infrastructure-investment priorities.

“Whether it’s traditional infrastructure like water, sewer and electricity, or high-tech infrastructure like broadband, we’ve got to know what we need and where, and then set priorities accordingly,” Bredesen said.

Fostering Innovation

Bredesen proposed stepping up the state’s commitment to producing high-quality research jobs with targeted efforts designed to assist but not interfere with innovation. Specifically:

• Establishing Innovation Tennessee, a new $5 million initiative to provide “seed money” to fund grants to innovative new businesses, as well as help take new ideas being created in our laboratories and universities and move them into the commercial marketplace.
• Partnering with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Tennessee Valley Authority to develop a fiber-optic network connecting the state’s nonprofit and government research institutions. At a state cost of about $3 million, the network will provide better data, voice and video connections between in-state research institutions ranging from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
• Exploring new partnerships between the automotive industry, UT and other institutions to help Tennessee get a better toe-hold in automotive research and development (R&D) — a logical next step following the state’s 25-year successful track record in auto manufacturing.

Expanding Sales and Marketing

Bredesen proposed stepping up basic sales and marketing efforts at both the state and local levels. Specifically:

• Launching a statewide “Orange Carpet Tour” to showcase small- and medium-sized communities to national and regional economic development decision-makers, including industrial site-selection consultants. The tour, a nod to the Volunteer State’s favorite color, will be patterned on existing “red carpet tours” in other states.
• Expanding participation in the Tennessee Leadership Center, a resource for local economic development officials who want training, support or ideas to help ramp up business development. The center is part of Tennessee Tomorrow, a statewide partnership of public, private and academic leaders.

“If we’re going to succeed long term,” Bredesen said, “we’ve got to stay competitive by constantly stepping up our sales and marketing efforts.”

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