Twenty-two Nashville residents have participated in TCASN’s MIRA courses to up-skill and enter high-quality careers. Through a grant from the Scarlett Family Foundation and partnerships with the TN College of Applied Technology - Nashville and community based organizations, TCASN hosted three MIRA courses throughout the city in 2025.
Information Technology: In partnership with TCAT Nashville, The Branch of Nashville, and Nashville State Community College Southeast, TCASN offered a CompTIA Core 1 certification to eleven students in South Nashville who participate in programs/services offered by The Branch. Classes were hosted at The Branch and at NSCC Southeast campus. Among class participants four languages were spoken. All eleven students who started the 11-week program graduated in April 2025, boasting a 100% completion rate! Upon certification, the graduates qualify for careers as help desk technicians, IT support specialists, and field service technicians. They also qualify for roles in desktop support and server support.
Registered Behavioral Technician: In June 2025, five adult learners completed an eight-week, intensive training course designed to prepare them for careers in behavior support roles, specializing in autism therapy settings. The graduates balanced many responsibilities while completing the course, including being the sole care providers for their children and grandchildren and balancing multiple jobs. The course was supported by TCASN, TCAT Nashville, Belmont Fast Forward, The Store, Belmont Family Wellbeing Program, and Lighthouse Kids Centers. Upon passing the national RBT certification exam, graduates will be connected to local job opportunities in behavior support and autism services.
CMA to LPN pathway: In May 2025, TCASN partnered with UpRise Nashville and TCAT Nashville to provide support to six former UpRise leaders who wanted to upskill from being certified medical assistants and patient care technicians to licensed practical nurses. Two prerequisite classes are required for registered CMAs to enter LPN programs - Dosage Calculations and Anatomy and Physiology. Because CMAs need to take these two prerequisites outside of a degree-seeking program, they do not qualify for financial aid. MIRA is covering all tuition and supply costs for these students, as well as tutoring support, so they can pursue LPN certification in the near future. The six leaders will complete their prerequisite coursework in August 2025.
Since 2023, the Scarlett Family Foundation has provided grant funding to support TCASN’s partnerships with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Nashville and trusted community-based organizations to offer MIRA courses via a hyper-local approach within communities and neighborhood across Nashville, bringing higher education directly to learners. MIRA covers tuition, fees, and supply costs for all participants. Additionally, participating students receive a weekly $100 stipend (based on class attendance/participation) to help address financial barriers and offset missed work hours due to MIRA participation.