Why

The Pipeline Breaks Early

Misalignment happens before high school ends—too late for downstream workforce fixes.

“For many of these students, it was their first exposure to state financial-aid opportunities and viable career pathways. Educators consistently reported that the experience transformed student awareness and aspiration in ways traditional outreach cannot.”

— Dr. Steven Gentile, Executive Director of TN Higher Education Commission

Claim
Tennessee’s talent gap is driven by early misalignment, not lack of opportunity.
What’s happening
◦ Jobs are arriving faster than aligned talent
◦ Workforce systems engage after disengagement
◦ Remediation is costly and less effective
The insight
By the time students formally enter workforce pipelines, many paths are already set—or closed.
Our intervention
Appalachia Sessions Live™ intervenes upstream, before misalignment becomes permanent.
Why that matters
Early alignment produces stronger persistence, clearer intent, and better workforce outcomes.
See how early intervention works.
Eval Summary →