Tennessee has been selected as one of 10 national semifinalists in phase one of the U.S. Department of Education’s Connecting Talent to Opportunity (CTO) Challenge, a $15 million prize competition designed to strengthen connections between learners, education and training providers, and employers through the development of integrated statewide Talent Marketplaces.
Tennessee joins Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, South Carolina, and West Virginia as phase one semifinalists in the competition to advance innovative strategies to make skills more visible, credentials more transparent, and career pathways more accessible.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) is leading the effort in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR).
Tennessee’s proposal would expand a statewide Talent Marketplace that connects Learning and Employment Records (LERs), a Credential Registry, and employer job data into a single interoperable system that supports skills-based hiring and strengthens alignment between education and workforce needs.
“This recognition underscores Tennessee’s commitment to preparing students and job seekers for success in a rapidly changing economy,” said TDLWD Commissioner Deniece Thomas. “By uniting education, credentials, and workforce opportunities through a statewide Talent Marketplace, we are empowering Tennesseans to better highlight their skills, access meaningful career pathways, and help employers find the talent they need to thrive.”
The proposal builds on TBR’s nationally recognized implementation of Comprehensive Learner Records (TBR CRED), which has been deployed across all TBR institutions. TBR is among the first postsecondary systems in the nation to document student participation in high-impact practices and connect student competencies through a national credential registry.
“Tennessee has established itself as a national leader in learner record innovation, and this opportunity allows us to build on that foundation,” said TBR Chancellor Flora W. Tydings. “By expanding this work to more students on a voluntary basis and integrating learner records with employment matching tools, we can create a seamless, skills-based ecosystem that supports students, workers, and employers across the state.”
Tennessee’s proposal aims to expand its innovative, proven statewide approach. By extending learner records to include K-12, postsecondary, and prior work experience, and integrating them with employment search and matching functions, Tennessee is positioned to lead the nation in creating an end-to-end system that connects education and workforce opportunities.
Over the next six months, Team Tennessee will work with the U.S. Department of Education to further develop its CTO Challenge submission.
Individuals can learn more about the CTO Challenge by visiting the CTO Challenge website.
