What WIOA looks like in Tennessee
Tennessee runs WIOA through the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Services come through the American Job Center Tennessee network and the state's 9 local workforce areas. Reference: tn.gov/workforce.
For you, it works like this. Find your local American Job Center. Do the eligibility intake. Work with a career counselor. Then you get an Individual Training Account (ITA) that pays an approved school directly.
Who administers WIOA in Tennessee
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) is the state agency in charge. It handles the money, keeps the ETPL, and reports results to the federal government.
- State Workforce Development Board sets state workforce policy with the Governor's office.
- 9 local workforce areas run services by region: Northwest, Southwest, Greater Memphis, Northern Middle (which includes Nashville), Southern Middle, Upper Cumberland, Northeast, East (which includes Knoxville), and Southeast (which includes Chattanooga). Each area sets its own training cap.
- American Job Center Tennessee and Jobs4TN.gov are the name on the door and the state job site. WIOA intake and job search live in the same place.
Who qualifies for WIOA in Tennessee
Tennessee follows the federal Title I rules. The three doors:
- Adult program: 18 or older, able to work legally, and signed up for Selective Service if that applies to you. People on public assistance, people with low income, and people who need basic skills go first. Veterans and eligible spouses go first in every program.
- Dislocated Worker program: laid off, on unemployment or out of it, hit by a WARN Act mass layoff, displaced homemakers, and people whose own business failed.
- Youth program: 14 to 24 with at least one barrier to work. Most of the money goes to out-of-school youth 16 to 24.
2026 WIOA income limits in Tennessee
You do not have to be low income for the Adult program. But when money is tight, people under these limits are served first. Count everyone in your family and use your yearly income.
| People in your family | Metro counties | Non-metro counties |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 | $15,960 |
| 2 | $21,640 | $21,640 |
| 3 | $27,978 | $27,320 |
| 4 | $34,542 | $33,386 |
| 5 | $40,767 | $39,399 |
| 6 | $47,680 | $46,076 |
| 7 | $54,593 | $52,753 |
| 8 | $61,506 | $59,430 |
| Each extra person | add $6,913 | add $6,677 |
Tennessee uses the higher of the federal poverty line and 70 percent of the Lower Living Standard Income Level, and has not posted its own 2026 table. These are that rule applied to the 2026 federal figures for the South region, which includes Tennessee. Your board decides whether your county counts as metro. Low income is not required for Adult services; it decides who is served first. Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: 2026 poverty guidelines; U.S. Department of Labor: 2026 LLSIL.
How to apply for WIOA in Tennessee
- Find your local American Job Center. Find your county in the board table below and call, or use the TN American Job Center finder. Every county is covered by one of the 9 areas.
- Sign up on Jobs4TN.gov. Most areas require a profile on jobs4tn.gov before intake.
- Bring your papers to intake. Photo ID, Social Security card, proof you can work, and income or layoff papers. Veterans bring the DD-214. Youth bring school records.
- Do the assessment and the Individual Employment Plan. Your counselor checks your skills and interests. The written IEP is required before any training money is approved.
- Pick a program on the Tennessee ETPL. Search inside Jobs4TN or with your counselor. The list leans toward TCAT programs and each region's in-demand list.
- Get your Individual Training Account (ITA). The ITA pays the school directly. First visit to a funded seat usually takes three to eight weeks.
How much does WIOA pay for training in Tennessee?
There is no statewide cap. Each of the 9 areas sets its own, and the posted caps run from $2,500 to $8,000. Find your county below to see your board's cap, its phone number, and where to start.
| Board and counties | Training money cap | Call | Start here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest TennesseeBenton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion, Weakley | $8,000 total ($4,000 a year for 2 years) | 731-352-8815 | Board site |
| Southwest TennesseeChester, Decatur, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McNairy | $6,000 total ($3,000 a year for 2 years) | 731-668-2040 | Board site |
| Greater MemphisFayette, Lauderdale, Shelby, Tipton | Not published | 901-707-8426 | Board site |
| Northern Middle TennesseeCheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson, Wilson | $6,000 per enrollment | 800-865-0981 | Board site |
| Southern Middle TennesseeBedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Wayne | $5,000 in priority fields, $2,500 otherwise (training and support together) | 931-379-2929 | Board site |
| Upper CumberlandCannon, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren, White | $5,000 lifetime | 931-520-9511 | Board site |
| Northeast TennesseeCarter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, Washington | Not published | 423-610-0222 | Board site |
| Southeast TennesseeBledsoe, Bradley, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie | $8,000 for a degree, $5,000 for a certificate or license | 423-894-5354 | Board site |
| East Tennessee (ETHRA)Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Union | $6,000 lifetime ($3,000 if the program has no financial aid) | 865-594-5500 | Board site |
Caps come from each board's own plan or policy, checked October 2026; tap a cap to read the source. "Not published" means the board posts no dollar figure, so ask at intake. Some boards ask you to apply for a Pell Grant first, and some go above the cap with a director's approval.
Ask your counselor whether money is left this program year. Two more options: Tennessee Reconnect and Tennessee Promise pay community and technical college tuition for eligible adults and recent graduates. They stack with WIOA, which can then cover extras and other costs.
What training programs WIOA Tennessee pays for
Tennessee's ETPL favors in-demand jobs and Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) programs. Common approved types:
- Auto manufacturing. Nissan in Smyrna, Volkswagen in Chattanooga, GM in Spring Hill, and Ford's BlueOval City in Haywood County keep demand high for CNC, welding, robotics, mechatronics, and EV assembly technician credentials.
- Healthcare. CNA, LPN, RN bridge programs, medical assistant, phlebotomy, surgical technology, EMT. Nashville's healthcare cluster (HCA Healthcare, Vanderbilt, Ascension Saint Thomas) drives demand across middle Tennessee.
- Logistics and supply chain. Memphis is FedEx's global hub. CDL, warehousing, air cargo, and logistics management credentials get heavy funding in west Tennessee.
- Information technology. Cybersecurity, cloud, IT support and networking. Nashville and Knoxville tech corridors drive demand.
- Skilled trades. HVAC, electrical, plumbing, welding. Construction demand is strong statewide.
- Nuclear and energy. Oak Ridge National Laboratory and TVA create special nuclear-related demand in east Tennessee.
What are Tennessee's WIOA program outcomes?
Tennessee reports the six WIOA indicators to the U.S. Department of Labor every year. The table shows the targets the state agreed to for Program Year 2024 (July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025), what it delivered, and the level it agreed to for PY2025. The numbers come from the Department of Labor's state performance reports.
| Indicator | PY2024 target | PY2024 actual | Result | PY2025 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult (6,976 served, 3,291 exited) | ||||
| Employment rate, 2nd quarter after exit | 82.0% | 80.1% | Missed | 84.1% |
| Employment rate, 4th quarter after exit | 81.5% | 80.7% | Missed | 83.0% |
| Median earnings, 2nd quarter after exit | $7,982 | $8,242 | Met | $8,000 |
| Credential attainment rate | 72.4% | 70.5% | Missed | 72.9% |
| Measurable skill gains | 72.3% | 74.7% | Met | 72.8% |
| Dislocated Worker (1,482 served, 933 exited) | ||||
| Employment rate, 2nd quarter after exit | 84.4% | 83.7% | Missed | 85.0% |
| Employment rate, 4th quarter after exit | 83.7% | 83.5% | Missed | 84.0% |
| Median earnings, 2nd quarter after exit | $8,699 | $9,612 | Met | $8,749 |
| Credential attainment rate | 69.9% | 73.2% | Met | 70.4% |
| Measurable skill gains | 73.9% | 79.3% | Met | 74.4% |
| Youth (3,824 served, 1,711 exited) | ||||
| Employment or education rate, 2nd quarter after exit | 82.5% | 77.5% | Missed | 83.0% |
| Employment or education rate, 4th quarter after exit | 80.5% | 78.1% | Missed | 82.0% |
| Median earnings, 2nd quarter after exit | $5,548 | $5,481 | Missed | $5,548 |
| Credential attainment rate | 64.5% | 65.2% | Met | 65.0% |
| Measurable skill gains | 60.0% | 54.8% | Missed | 60.8% |
Tennessee sets some of the highest employment targets in the country. In PY2024 it met 6 of 15. The Adult and Dislocated Worker programs each missed both employment targets by one to two points. Adults also missed credential attainment. The Youth program missed four of five, with the widest gap in skill gains, 54.8 percent against 60.0 percent. Earnings beat the target in the Adult and Dislocated Worker programs. The full story is on how Tennessee measures workforce program success.
How Workforce Pell interacts with WIOA in Tennessee
Tennessee is in the accepting tier on our Workforce Pell tracker for Tennessee. TDLWD and THEC opened the application portal on July 1, 2026. The state counts a job placement if it happens within 180 days. As of late August, only a handful of schools had submitted programs, and none were eligible yet. Reference: TDLWD: Workforce Pell launch.
For a Tennessean looking at training money today, WIOA is the path that is fully open. Workforce Pell will add on for approved short programs (150 to 599 clock hours) as schools clear the process. Tennessee Reconnect and Tennessee Promise stack with WIOA and Pell in different ways. Ask your American Job Center counselor and the school's financial aid office which applies to you.