Top talent and team building elevate productivity and quality.

Workforce has powered Tennessee to the top in sectors such as automotive and advanced manufacturing, and here in Shelbyville-Bedford, your operation is strategically positioned to attract, develop and retain some of the best talent in the state. A location in the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro Combined Statistical Area provides access to a labor pool of of 284,450+ within a 45 -minute drive; also, a comprehensive talent pipeline adds value at every level, from the local K-12 systems to industry-respected training partners at institutions of technology and higher education, including:

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville. One of 27 TCAT campuses across the state, TCAT-Shelbyville facilitates workforce readiness with a range of programs for dual enrollment and for adults, covering training needs such as:

• Industrial Maintenance Automation
• Industrial Electricity
• Machine Tool Technology
• Welding Technology
• Information Technology and Infrastructure Management

Custom Training: TCAT is also Tennessee’s designated resource for custom industrial training programs, a key competitive advantage for startups and expansions. Working in partnership with your enterprise, the training staff at TCAT-Shelbyville can create precisely customized, job-specific training, delivered online or on the shop floor. And for qualified projects, Tennessee’s FastTrack Jobs Training grants defray a substantial portion of the costs.

Bedford County Higher Education Center: The planned and funded $42.4 million Center promises to add ease and effectiveness to workforce development, opening expanded enrollment for dual-enrollment and adult students, and providing an adjacent custom training space for operations locating in 231 North Business Park. 

Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU): MTSU is helping the region design and build a better future through undergraduate programs including Engineering Technology and Mechatronics Engineering as well as graduate programs in Engineering Technology and Engineering Management. An MTSU education is rigorous and relevant: Labs allow students to design, build and test products, thus allowing them to tackle real-world challenges and to master critical equipment and processes such as programmable logic controllers. 

Motlow State Community College: MSCC is moving area industry forward with critical training opportunities such as its state-of-the-art Automation and Robotics Training Center, where students are taught by nationally recognized and globally experienced A&R trainers.  In 2021, MSCC also established a business apprentice program, enabling students to earn while they learn, while allowing employers to customize training and reduce turnover.  Initiated during the pandemic to promote regional resiliency, the Motlow Community Collaborative—the Collab, as it is known—has expanded to encompass everything from business growth to credit training to cross-sector cooperation, adding more strength to regional economic development.

Focused support from Partnership workforce specialists. Because the Shelbyville-Bedford Partnership understands the critical importance of workforce, we offer the services of staff dedicated exclusively to workforce development. Together we can help your operation put together and maintain a team that provides the highest level of performance.