American Job Center at Nashville State
From left: Marla Rye, President of Workforce Essentials; Deniece Thomas, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD); Dr. Flora Tydings, Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents; Dr. Shanna L. Jackson, President of Nashville State Community College; Dr. Jo Williams, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Workforce Development at Nashville State; and Joseph Johnson, Executive Director of the Nashville State Center for Workforce Development & Continuing Education, attend an open house for the Workforce Training Center at Nashville State's East Davidson campus. (Photos by Madison Bumpus / TDLWD)
AJC, Partners Serve Thousands in First Year at New Home
By Karen Grigsby
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
For nearly five years, Nashville State Community College’s East Davidson campus sat empty, a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today it’s buzzing with activity as the home of a comprehensive workforce center, offering training, classes, and job search support under one roof.
The Workforce Training Center, which opened in January and held an open house for the public in late October, is the result of a partnership between Nashville State’s Center for Workforce Development & Continuing Education, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD), and the Northern Middle Tennessee Workforce Board.
The new center aims to streamline access to education and employment resources while eliminating barriers. Before, students and job seekers may have gone to multiple places for multiple services; now, they don’t have to leave the building.
“If you walk through the doors, no matter what you’re looking for — a job, training — you can get everything at one location,” said Paul Hines, the Team Lead at the Nashville American Job Center, which moved from MetroCenter to the new Workforce Training Center a year ago.
Assessing Needs, Finding Solutions
Talks between Nashville State and the American Job Center (AJC) about sharing space at the long-dormant East Davidson campus began in August 2024 and ramped up quickly.
By December, Nashville State’s workforce development team had relocated from the school’s White Bridge Road campus and adult education classes were being held at the new center. All services were up and running by January.
In addition to adult education and English as a Second Language classes, the Nashville AJC offers no-cost services such as career counseling and job placement assistance. The AJC includes a resource room with computers that individuals can use to search for jobs or update their resume, along with staffers to offer support and technical help.
Elsewhere in the center, Nashville State’s Center for Workforce Development & Continuing Education provides training programs for professional development, as well as workshops and career navigation.
Like its location near the airport, the new center is easily accessible. When people walk through the doors, they’re greeted at the front desk by a knowledgeable staff member who can assess their needs and connect them to an individual, not an organization.
That personal touch is important, said Joseph Johnson, Executive Director of the Center for Workforce Development & Continuing Education.
“If we’re doing a handoff, we’re doing it in such a way that the individual really doesn’t know ‘This is AJC. This is AE. This is Nashville State. These are just individuals who are here to support me and make me successful.’ And we’ve kind of taken the approach of when someone is successful, we all get the credit,” he said.
Employer Services
The Workforce Training Center doesn’t just serve students and job seekers. Employers can find a range of services there as well.
Nashville State partners with employers, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Tennessee Oncology, to offer training to upskill their staffs. Nearly 200 VUMC employees working in departments such as transportation and food services have completed medical assisting classes paid for by the hospital and provided by Nashville State.
Employers also can use space at the AJC to hold hiring events and interview job candidates. Kroger recently held a three-day job fair and hired 45 people on the spot.
“Our inboxes are constantly filling up with employers looking to fill those vacancies and seeing what type of incentives we have,” Hines said.
Deniece Thomas, the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, speaks during an open house for the Workforce Training Center at Nashville State Community College's East Davidson campus.
Working Together to Improve Lives
Nearly one year after its opening, the Workforce Training Center has served thousands of Middle Tennesseans looking to build successful careers.
The AJC alone has reported more than 12,600 visits in 2025, including individuals served during community outreach events.
Hines and Regional Director Georgena P. Wilson said their hardworking staff deserves much of the credit. Career specialists have adapted to change and taken on additional responsibilities without complaint.
“We all buy into the vision of it,” Hines said. “We know we’re here to serve, and we don’t lose sight of who we impact.”
Johnson also praised his new neighbors at the center.
“We had a building that had not been operational in four years, and you can imagine when we came in and got it ready to operate, there were some things that didn’t operate or didn’t work well,” he said. “Their understanding and their flexibility has been very much appreciated.”
While Nashville State and the AJC are still settling into their new homes, Johnson is already looking ahead at how the Workforce Training Center may one day better serve clients by addressing all their needs, including food, housing, and child care.
“We know that there is so much more that we are going to do together, and we’re excited about what that looks like in the future,” Johnson said.
About the Workforce Center
Nashville State Community College’s East Davidson campus is home to the Workforce Training Center, which includes Nashville State’s Center for Workforce Development & Continuing Education and the American Job Center. The campus is at 2845 Elm Hill Pike and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
FOCUS is a publication of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.