TDOE Releases 2020-22 Tennessee Promoted Industry Credential List
157 Approved Credentials Available to Tennessee Students
NASHVILLE, TN—Today, the Tennessee Department of Education released the 2020-22 Tennessee Promoted Industry Credential List, which includes 157 approved industry credentials available for students to earn in Tennessee. Ensuring students can earn high-quality industry certifications, certificates, and other credentials, and have access to aligned coursework or training programs, is a critical component of Tennessee Career and Technical Education (CTE) work to prepare all students to be college and career ready.
To more closely align with the needs of Tennessee businesses and industries, the department has revised the process to review and promote industry credentials, which include certifications, certificates, licenses, and badges, for secondary students. The 2020-22 Tennessee promoted industry credentials are part of the Tennessee Promoted Industry Credential Annual Report, which also includes an overview of the redesigned industry credential approval process, definitions, and results of submission reviews. Find the report here.
"Our mission at the Tennessee Department of Education is to provide the best for all students and set them on a path to success, and we believe providing opportunities to earn industry credentials or certificates is so important for workplace success and readiness,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “I am proud of our department’s work to improve the process by which we review and promote industry credentials, which will ensure our students have access to in-demand and high-quality options.”
The Tennessee Promoted Industry Credential List is used to identify various industry credentials available to secondary students which are recognized, valued, and preferred by industry in Tennessee. Of the 157 industry credentials identified on the 2020-22 Tennessee Promoted Industry Credential List, 33 were identified as Recognized, 45 were identified as Valued, and 79 were identified as Preferred.
During the 2020-21 industry credential submission window, 133 credentials were submitted for review representing all 16 nationally recognized CTE Career Clusters. There were also 78 un-duplicated credentials identified in the previous 2018-19 Promoted Student Industry Certification List, which were also reviewed using the new criteria and review process.
“This is an exciting time for CTE and workforce training in Tennessee. Business and industry partners across our state deserve a qualified workforce, and industry credentialing allows our students a way to demonstrate that they have attained the necessary knowledge and skills needed to be successful after high school graduation,” said Betsy Allison, CTE Director in Henry County Schools and President of the Tennessee Directors of Career and Technical Education. “Ensuring our students have access to these relevant and valued industry credentials is necessary for our continued economic success and to prove, once again, that Tennessee is leading the nation in education, skill, and workforce development.”
In 2019, the department worked with other state agencies and post-secondary stakeholders in Tennessee to draft the Perkins V Tennessee state plan, which has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education to provide an estimated $100 million to implement CTE in the state. This process highlighted the need for a specific statewide strategy to focus on industry credential alignment and attainment.
The newly designed process establishes clear criteria to promote an industry credential statewide and allows for industry credentials to be submitted for review by representatives of secondary, postsecondary, workforce, and other governmental agencies. If approved, the industry credential would be categorized into one of three tiers–Recognized, Valued, or Preferred–and promoted for use in K-12 schools and across Tennessee’s broader educational and workforce systems.
For more information on Tennessee Promoted Industry Credentials, visit the department’s website.
For Tennessee Department of Education media inquiries, contact Edu.MediaInquiries@tn.gov.
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