How We Got Started

In 2016, the National Resource Network Team prepared a report for Mayor Berke titled “Bridging the Gap: Affordable Housing and Workforce Development Strategies.” This report made it apparent that, though the city had made strides in the realm of economic and community development, there had been no specific focus on bringing Chattanooga’s workforce up to par.

Chattanooga has some of the highest income inequality in the nation; and, though our overall city unemployment rate was the lowest it had ever been at 3.6%, there were pockets of communities in Chattanooga with unemployment rates that we’d like to see come down. Our city is even experiencing a labor shortage: there aren’t enough qualified people to fill the amount of jobs that we have open.

Mayor Berke implemeted the Office of Workforce Development as a reinforcement to the Office of Economic & Community Development's ongoing work. Long term, we seek to lower the unemployment rates in some of our low income neighborhoods and to raise the overall income level in the city - person by person, job after job.

What We Do

Entities all over the city are creating Workforce Development projects such as skills training, HiSET courses, technology literacy, excellency certifications, employment assistance, and more. Some are non-profits, some are businesses and unions, and some are our own City Government offices. One primary function of the Office of Workforce Development is to bring the people working on these efforts together to keep each other updated on our progress, our setbacks, and our solutions.

Our office has also started several workforce development programs of our own. These programs have a specific focus on residents who have a specific barrier to finding employment, such as single mothers and ex-offenders. Our largest program, the Workforce Outreach program, is a door-to-door campaign that helps us discover what kind of help our residents need when looking for a job.