As a micropolitan center in Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland Region, Crossville-Cumberland County is a center of commerce and industry, drawing workers from nine neighboring counties with a regional labor force of 140,000. Career awareness begins early in Cumberland County Schools with careers fairs regularly conducted in our public middle and high schools. Our longstanding Career & Technical Education programs offer dual enrollment and work-based learning opportunities for students who plan to earn an associate degree or technical certification or to enter the workforce upon graduation.
The Tennessee College of Applied Technologies and Roane State Community College in Crossville both locally serve post-secondary needs and coordinate with business and industry to offer course work and tracks relevant to their needs. Similarly, Tennessee Technological University in neighboring Putnam County contributes to our workforce pipeline by producing graduates with advanced engineering and technical degrees.
The centralized geographic proximity and skilled workforce are appealing reasons to locate your business in Cumberland County. A skilled workforce is an important concern to any business looking to expand or relocate. Cumberland County draws workers from neighboring counties to include a total regional labor shed of approximately 140,000. With five regional higher education institutions, the Cumberland County regional area offers businesses access to an abundance of trained workers.
TCAT-Crossville offers 17 different certificate tracks, including those in industrial maintenance, mechanical, machine tooling, computer science, administrative and medical technologies. TCAT-Crossville has a 90% job placement rate and customizes programs to the needs of our existing industrial base.
Roane State offers career preparation programs, training students in business management, office administration, health sciences and other fields. Additionally, the Roane State Crossville Campus provides developmental, continuing, and lifelong education training. Roane State also has a 90% job placement rate.
Located nearby in adjacent Putnam County, TTU offers undergraduate and graduate education and contributes to the availability of educated workforce in the region. This is particularly advantageous for companies looking to hire young engineers and business and administrative staff, as well as other key staffing positions.
Cumberland County’s trained workforce begins with its high-achieving schools. The high school graduation rate, ACT scores, and college-going rate are above the state average. This prepares students for advanced training and allows them to be a stronger workforce for employers in the future.
Other regional higher education institutions include Bryan College-Dayton, Roane State Community College, Harriman, Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman and Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Livingston. The number of college degrees and/or certifications has greatly increased since the State of Tennessee instituted the Tennessee Promise and TN Reconnect scholarship programs.
Tennessee Promise is a scholarship and mentoring program sponsored by the State of Tennessee focused on increasing the number of students that attend college in our state. It provides students a last-dollar scholarship, meaning the scholarship will cover tuition and fees not covered by the Pell grant, the HOPE scholarship, or state student assistance funds.
Tennessee Reconnect is an initiative to help more adults return to higher education to gain new skills, advance in the workplace, and fulfill lifelong dreams of completing a degree or credential. The Tennessee Reconnect Grant is available for eligible adults who want to pursue an associate degree, technical degree, or technical diploma at a Tennessee community college or technical college. It is a last-dollar grant that pays the remaining balance of tuition and mandatory fees after other state and federal financial aid have been applied.