Executive Service
TN REGIONAL APPRENTICESHIP DIRECTOR
Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Office of Apprenticeship
Nashville, TN
$78,528.00 - $124,356.00
Closing Date: 09/14/2026
This position is designated as Work from Home and Office
For more information, visit the link below:
https://wwwtngov/workforce/careershtml
Who we are and what we do:
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a state agency established to promote workforce development and improve workplace safety and health throughout the state.
How you make a difference in this role:
The Apprenticeship Director will lead the effort in growing registered apprenticeship programs and increasing the overall number of apprentices in the Middle regions (Northern Middle, Upper Cumberland, and Southern Middle).
Job Overview:
- Provide statewide leadership for Registered Apprenticeship expansion, quality, and strategic development under the ApprenticeshipTN initiative.
- Guide Apprenticeship Specialists, Business & Workforce Directors, and regional partners in employer engagement, program development, RTI coordination, and compliance.
- Lead development, review, and approval of apprenticeship standards, work process schedules, wage progressions, and sponsor documentation.
- Strengthen statewide sector strategies by advancing apprenticeship adoption in priority industries, including healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, IT, early childhood, and public sector occupations. Direct collaboration with TDOE/CTE, Adult Education, SNAP E&T, Vocational Rehabilitation, DOHR, SHRM, and other partners to expand pathways and remove barriers for job seekers.
- Support intermediary sponsors, multi-employer models, pre-apprenticeships, and youth programs to build scalable, sustainable talent pipelines.
- Oversee technical assistance, monitoring, and quality assurance efforts to ensure program compliance and continuous improvement.
- Manage apprenticeship-related grant initiatives, including program design, reporting, and implementation of emerging and degree-based pathways.
- Represent the agency in public settings, statewide councils, chambers, legislative briefings, and national apprenticeship collaboratives.
- This position requires travel throughout Tennessee.
Key Responsibilities:
- Network with businesses and industry groups informing them about the value of Registered Apprenticeship Programs and consult on building an apprenticeship program specific to their needs.
- Connect business and industry groups to labor and training partners.
- Aggregate the needs of small employers within industry sectors to ease the administrative burdens of delivering training for both small employers and training providers.
- Develop registration paperwork for sponsors and guide them through the registration process. Serve as an intermediary for the employer/sponsor with the US Department of Labor.
- Conduct industry engagement and outreach activities by marketing registered apprenticeships to employers. Partner with TN Department of Education on conducting outreach on apprenticeships in the K-12 systems, specifically in CTE Programs.
- Support apprentices¿ progress through site visits to companies with active apprentices.
- Build relationships with community colleges. Regional Apprenticeship Director will work with their regional colleges to develop quality instruction, negotiate costs for related instruction, help navigate the course registration process for apprentices, and ensure students receive college credit where feasible.
- Ensure open and collaborative communication with local workforce boards, regional labor directors, and other agency partners.
- Research and document promising practices that produce the benefits of strategic collaborations between employers and workforce service providers.
- Work collaboratively with Apprenticeship TN office and the Tennessee Workforce Development System partners.
- Provide technical assistance to current apprenticeship sponsors.
- Work with the regions to sustain and grow registered apprenticeship programs and service.
- Assist with grant writing on new grant opportunities for the Apprenticeship TN Office.
- Support the organization's strategic alliances and partnership.
- Ensure performance goals are met.
- Participate in strategic planning.
- Represent the organization to the public, key stakeholders, and business partners.
Minimum Qualifications:
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in business, human resources, management, or a related field
Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.