The Tennessee Economic Council on Women visited or surveyed via email/fax every Comprehensive Career Center and Affiliate Site in the state. In all, fifteen Career Centers were either visited by Council and Task Force members or responses to the request for information were submitted via fax or email. Our survey includes feedback from West, Middle and East Tennessee, and from both rural and urban areas.

Interestingly, the Council finds that women appear to be utilizing Career Centers across the state in greater percentages than men. One explanation for this, according to one LWIA, was that women were being displaced at a greater rate by recent plant closings, particularly in areas where textile and apparel plants were closing or relocating. Those interviewed or responding to our questionnaire were often unsure as to the actual number of women seeking services at Career Centers, as it was said on numerous occasions that those statistics were not kept by individual Career Centers. However, only two Centers in our survey estimated that less than 50% of participants were female, and in fact, two Center representatives stated that as much as 85% of Center customers were female. Stated one Career Center employee, “there are more women than men” using Career Centers today.

When asked to describe the typical client, the responses varied. Again, many stated that their clients were mostly female. In the Upper Cumberland region, it appear that the typical client is female and has been dislocated due to plant closings (two respondents specifically mentioned NAFTA as reasons for this), possibly lacking basic skills, needing childcare and training in the face of an economic area experiencing a shortage of good paying jobs. However, when asked if Career Centers provide any programs specifically for women, the overwhelming responses was “no.” One Center representative, in fact, stated that they were not allowed to discriminate in that fashion. One Career Center refers women to other local agencies that may assist them in some fashion. Two mention the Displaced Homemakers services available.