Nashville Innovation Alliance holds ‘Tech Talent at Scale’ workforce development event

The Nashville Innovation Alliance, the groundbreaking partnership between Vanderbilt and Mayor Freddie O'Connell to bring together public, private, civic and education institutions to enhance the region's innovation ecosystem, continues its work to make Nashville one of America's centers of innovation.

On April 8, the alliance held an event at the Student Life Center focused on building our city's local technology workforce: "Tech Talent at Scale: World-Class Expertise for Upskilling Nashville's Workforce."

With discussions on strengthening Nashville's tech talent pipeline and insights from distinguished experts and industry leaders, this event identified novel collaborative solutions to help bring higher-paying jobs to more Nashvillians and to position the region as a premier center for innovation.

"Homegrown tech talent will play a critical role in driving and supporting Nashville's future as a hub for innovation," saidSally Parker, associate vice chancellor for the Division of Government and Community Relations. "Through our work with the Nashville Innovation Alliance, Vanderbilt is committed to fostering strong and collaborative partnerships across our region that cultivate a talent pipeline for the future of work."

The discussion emphasized the need for better cross-sector collaboration of nonprofits, universities and employers, more early talent engagement and more proactive hiring practices that reflect the hard and soft skills employers want today.

"Economic mobility is one of the most important reasons we are here today," said host and moderator Stephanie Coleman, president and CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. "Our tech sector is growing fast, but to meet the moment, we must build intentional partnerships that connect job seekers with real opportunity-and meet people where they are, locally and nationally."

Speakers discussed improvements needed for Nashville to ensure that our local workforce can meet the demands of the tech jobs of the moment and of the future:

• Scale tech training programs that are sector-driven, ensure employer buy-in and provide services that support program completion and access to good job outcomes for talent.
• Expand and deepen employer champions who will support program development and hiring and showcase the benefits of a robust tech training ecosystem to corporate partners.
• Expose talent across the education and career pipeline to different tech jobs across industries.
• Provide spaces where corporate, start-up and entrepreneurial worlds can collaborate and foster opportunities.

"We're here today because we believe Nashville can lead not just in growth, but in how we build opportunity alongside it," said Sandi Hoff, interim CEO and chief operating officer of the Greater Nashville Technology Council. "We hope this event is one of many that bring together employers, educators and civic leaders to commit to building a stronger workforce for the future."

Left to right: Sally Parker, Stephanie Cafaro, Johannah Williams, Whitney Staub-Juergens, Sandi Hoff, Jamari Brown, Stephanie Coleman, Clifton Harris

Other speakers featured at the event were:

• Jamari Brown, senior director, economic and community development, Office of Mayor Freddie O'Connell
• Stephanie Cafaro, managing director of recruiting, COOP
• Clifton Harris, president and CEO, Urban League of Middle Tennessee
• Whitney Staub-Juergens, vice president of transformation operations, HCA Healthcare
• Johannah Williams, vice president of academic affairs and workforce development, Nashville State Community College

The event concluded with calls to deepen partnerships between employers and institutions of higher learning, to better support students and job seekers beyond day one, and to adopt more agile approaches to hiring.

The alliance will convene a working group to pursue collaborative ideas generated during the event. To learn more or to get engaged, email info@nashvilleinnovationalliance.org.