Building East Tennessee’s Workforce from the Ground Up

On this episode of At Scale, tnAchieves welcomes Dr. Brian Noland, President of East Tennessee State University, for a conversation on what it takes to build Northeast Tennessee’s workforce from the ground up. Dr. Noland shares how ETSU’s access mission, regional partnerships and student-centered supports are helping more students see a future beyond high school and a meaningful career close to home.

The conversation explores how ETSU is strengthening the full education-to-workforce pipeline. Dr. Noland discusses the importance of faculty relationships, high-touch advising through the Jordan Center and data-informed interventions that help students persist, complete and move toward opportunity. For ETSU, student success is not just about enrollment. It is about building the support systems students need to earn a credential of value.

Dr. Noland also highlights how ETSU is working with partners like Ballad Health, Eastman, Northeast State and TCAT Elizabethton to grow local talent for the region’s most critical workforce needs. From nursing and health sciences to engineering and technical pathways, ETSU is helping create clearer handoffs from high school to postsecondary education to career. The episode is a strong reminder that college includes certificates, credentials, associate degrees and four-year degrees — and that every student deserves a pathway that leads to economic mobility.