Mentor registration for the tnAchieves class of 2027 is open. In this special episode of At Scale, our team looks back at why the mentor program started in 2008, how it has changed to meet student needs, and what it takes to be a mentor today. Chief Content Officer Ben Sterling, Chief Community and Government Affairs Officer Graham Thomas, Vice President of Workforce Tyler Ford, and Director of Mentors Baylor Atkins walk through the program's history, the move to an opt-in model, the shift to virtual mentoring, and the newer Workforce Mentoring track for students transitioning into their careers. Registration is open now, and we're recruiting 5,000 mentors by November 20.

Hilton has been a tnAchieves partner since 2011, opening its doors to students through job shadow days, internships, and its early-talent Launch program. On this episode of At Scale, Hope Thomas, Senior Manager of HR Consulting at Hilton, joins hosts Ben Sterling and Tyler Ford to talk about what that partnership looks like in practice and why it matters. They cover career exposure, professional skill-building, workplace culture, and what students should know as they think about post-secondary opportunity and career pathways in Tennessee.

Is a college degree still worth the cost — and what actually counts as a "good job" in Tennessee's economy today?

Dr. Jeff Strohl, Director of Research at Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, joins the At Scale podcast to unpack two decades of national data on post-secondary earnings, underemployment, and career mobility. He and hosts Ben Sterling and Tyler Ford talk through what the research really says about the value of a credential, and how Tennessee can better connect college access to long-term career opportunity.