Rural Development Roundtable Highlights

TENNESSEE Rural Development Roundtable Highlights

Top Priorities:

 Education/Workforce Development: 1. Educational Deficiencies: Student / System; 2. Promoting community/family involvement in schools; 3. Training for local labor market needs / Educational Status of workforce; Brain drain / retaining skilled workers; 4. Access to jobs (job availability in or out of the county of residence); Tied. School involvement in community engagement activities; School-based entrepreneurship/business development initiatives; Mentoring/internship programs

 Economic Development: 1. Community Assets and Constraints; 2. Globalization (economic opportunities and challenges)/ Trade and market issues, 3 (Tied). Business retention and expansion; Business recruitment/attraction; Building business networks; Economic impact assessment; 4 (Tied). Entrepreneurship, business start-ups, micro- enterprise, incubator programs; Value-added processing; Dealing with regulations; Economic friendly local government policies

 Leadership and Citizen Participation: 1. Expanding civic engagement / Resource and participation constraints; 2 (Tied). Leadership development training; Community collaboration strategies

Specific Needs Under Each Priority:

Education/Workforce Leadership/Civic Economic Development Development Participation/Governance

Strategies: Strategies: Strategies:  Reading Programs -  Need to take advantage of  Utilize existing Imagination Library our natural amenities local/regional training programs (http://www.imaginationlibrary.  Small business support at  Form regional alliances com/) local level  Encourage/ mandate  Student Assessment  Workforce development participation in leadership Program to redirect instead of education facilities training for elected officials forcing young adults/ high  "Value-Added"  Put funding in Leadership school grad. To college agriculture programs  Pre-K programs - local/  Identify cluster industries  Incorporate city/ county state grant funded that “Fit” community government classes into high  Local partnership funding  Leadership training in school curriculum. for education economic development  Leadership youth and adult  Year-round school  Coordinate resources classes, West Star  Programs for under across agencies (http://www.utm.edu/department achievers for better work ethics s/weststar/) to encourage continuing education  Technology Centers - Vol- State-TTU  Adult Literacy Program  More ed/ business communication/ partnership  Pilot community computers in classroom

RD Research Needs: RD Research Needs: RD Research Needs:  Availability of workforce in  Assist communities with  Develop database with county identifying local assets companies interested in  Local skills assessment to  What industry clusters mentoring program. Then determine the skills and talents would best fit specific credits for mentoring students of the people to better identify regions in Tennessee?  Leadership- Develop potential economic development  Determine the economic different/multiple strategies for opportunities impact of regulations to alliances and collaborations  Impact of year-round businesses in the state.  People engagement schools  Impact of e-commerce on  Programs to develop  How to market rural rural communities entrepreneurs communities to youth  Assist with feasibility  Identify school studies programming needs  Necessary infrastructure to support targeted industry clusters  Research other case studies in other states and counties to develop and implement Best Case Practices to rural areas.  Sustainable value added opportunities for crops

RD Extension Needs: RD Extension Needs: RD Extension Needs:  Job shadowing (both good/  Promote importance of  Help develop leadership bad) to see the "reality" of the agriculture classes job market.  Promote investments in  How do you recycle  Keeping records agriculture volunteers?  Workforce training for  Provide technical  Provide educational major employers assistance in helping citizens leadership training to  Assist and focus on local deal with regulations landowners and community education to promote better  Provide training for officials prepared employees/college producing alternative crops  Rural leadership training students  Rules and regulations  Develop leadership training  Provide training for involved with immigrant with partners including all producing alternative crops workers agriculture institutions and  Training and developing agencies financial plans for producers  Teaching children to get into niche markets responsibility thru 4-H  Teach producers and programs, etc. other business owners how to  Youth leadership use census data for technical development info, marketing and procurement  Financial projections on new businesses to present to local banks