You have probably heard a lot about Velocity 2040 and Chattanooga Climbs lately. What are these things and why do they matter?
More than 100 community organizations and employers joined together with the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce to create Velocity 2040 – a campaign to gather voices from across Chattanooga and Hamilton County to learn what we, as a community, need to improve upon to ensure a thriving community for the next twenty years and beyond.
Over 5,000 community members completed the Velocity 2040 survey, answering questions such as, “What challenges does our community need to tackle over the next twenty years?” Over half of the participants highlighted the lack of quality education and access to good jobs for all members of the community.
Unfortunately, that comes as no surprise to us. That’s why the work of the Chattanooga 2.0 coalition is needed now more than ever.
Chattanooga 2.0 was created with the vision to give all students the opportunity to succeed in the educational system, regardless of background, zip code or neighborhood. The coalition works off of ten priority areas to achieve two bold goals:
- To double the number of post-secondary degrees or credentials with real market value completed by Hamilton County graduates from 650 to 1300 each year
- To increase the overall percentage of adults in Hamilton County with a college degree or technical training certificate from 38% to 75% by 2025
The future of our community relies on continued economic growth, high-wage jobs, and the ability to connect residents with the education and training to reach their economic potential. By meeting our bold goals, we are securing a more prosperous future for our graduates and all residents of Chattanooga and Hamilton County.
The saying goes: “a goal without a plan is just a wish.”
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
We can’t just dream about what we want Hamilton County to be like in 2040, we must make a plan and act on it. Chattanooga Climbs is drafting a framework from your input to make measurable progress toward our long-term economic and talent development goals over the next five years.
Velocity 2040, Chattanooga Climbs,and the Chattanooga 2.0 coalition are working toward many of the same goals: highly-qualified teachers in classrooms, more resources and learning opportunities for our students, workforce-specific training for in-demand jobs, and – of course – an increased number of postsecondary degrees and certifications so that Hamilton County residents can access these available jobs in local industry.
By creating a cradle through career pipeline, we can address the challenges voiced by Hamilton County residents and create the ideal community we envision twenty years from now.
