Today, the Nashville Technology Council (NTC) announced the Nashville Technology Accelerated Learning Project (NTALP). The program is made possible with the investment of $100,000 from JPMorgan Chase & Co. to help create new accelerated learning programs and better align curricula with the jobs available today and the future needs of the job market.
“This is a data-driven approach to identifying the existing and future needs of employers,” explained Sandi Hoff, NTC Vice President of Technology Learning and Development. “The project allows us to plan innovative rapid training programs for students and job seekers and connect them with well-paying jobs in the tech industry.”
This announcement comes on the heels of the 2015 study of the region’s workforce trends through 2020, published by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and JPMorgan Chase & Co. which revealed a continued strong demand for middle-skill jobs in the health care, manufacturing, IT and construction sectors.
EMSI data projects that growth rates will increase to an average of 18% for the top five IT occupations in Middle Tennessee between 2014-2024. And while the region added 2,200 new IT related jobs over the past year, there are over 1,500 currently vacant IT positions. At the same time, aspiring workers are unemployed and an unprecedented share of the workforce remains underemployed, while employers struggle to fill vacancies due to lack of skilled candidates.
The Nashville Technology Accelerated Learning Project will help bridge this gap by conducting a needs assessment using local job data and validating it against employers’ hiring data. The findings and data will allow employers, educational institutions, and the community to align training programs with current and projected workforce skills requirements.
“JPMorgan Chase is making this investment because we want to help build career pathways in high demand industries that will create greater opportunity for Middle Tennesseans from all walks of life,” said Nicole Maynard, managing director of JPMorgan Chase in Tennessee.
Founded in 1999, The Nashville Technology Council is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit association on advancing the region’s technology industry. The NTC develops, connects, and promotes the Middle Tennessee technology community. It drives an innovative and connected regional economy for technology-based growth. More information can be found at TechnologyCouncil.com
Nashville Technology Council Foundation (aka Turning the Tide of Technology) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that invests to build the pathways for future technology professionals by developing problem solvers and creative thinkers. NTCF raises funds to support the NTC’s talent development initiatives to enhance the technology programs available to students in Middle Tennessee.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.6 trillion and operations worldwide. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.