Video highlights Tennessee’s workers creating products known worldwide

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development is highlighting workers in Tennessee.

February is National Career and Technical Education Month, and TNECD wanted to celebrate that with a video.

We spoke with their commissioner, Stuart McWhorter, to ask what the importance is of featuring this big part of Tennessee’s workforce.

“You know, it’s something that we as a state know is really critical to workforce development,” McWhorter said. “In so many different ways we’ve had decades of great success in manufacturing and other industries that rely on CTE, skill, development, etcetera.”

McWhorter talked about what he called a renaissance in manufacturing going on, and it is boosting our area.

“The southeast, generally speaking, is realizing and benefitting from that resurgence that we’re talking about,” said McWhorter. “As a result, the types of jobs that historically might have been created elsewhere or products and services being created and made in other countries is now coming back to the United States, specifically the southeast and in our case, Tennessee.”

McWhorter talked about the importance of teaching our youth about their options. He says letting them know what is out there can be big for the state’s workforce.

“You know, get a sense of what it really is. Find what their passion is, or what their interests are and aligning that with opportunity, I think if we could to that and continue to do that as a state when you look at manufacturing in particular I think we will win,” he said.

McWhorter says they are trying to show support for the opportunities Tennessee provides to bring talented people into our workforce.

The video that was made is titled “Born to Make,” and it focuses on the Tennesseans that create products that are known around the world.

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