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Warranty of Competency of Graduates of Technical Programs : 2.03.01.10

Policy/Guideline Area

Academic Policies

Applicable Divisions

TCATs, Community Colleges

Purpose

This policy demonstrates the confidence of the Tennessee Board of Regents in the quality of our technical programs and assures our graduates and their employers that graduation reflects competency in the A.A.S. Degree, Diploma and Technical Certificate of Credit program in which they were trained.

Definitions

  • Competency: A competency is the capability to apply or use a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform critical work functions or tasks in a defined work setting.
  • Skill Set: Specific tasks associated with competencies the student should be able to perform successfully at the completion of the program/course; can be found in the syllabus or program outcome sheet provided by the institution.

Policy/Guideline

  1. Policy
    1. As a demonstration of our confidence in the quality of our community college and technical college programs, the Tennessee Board of Regents system (TBR) warrants every graduate of programs offering an A.A.S. Degree, Diploma or Technical Certificate of Credit.
    2. The Warranty guarantees that the graduate has demonstrated the knowledge and skill set as identified in the curriculum or program guide and can perform each competency. Any program graduate who is identified to lack such knowledge and skill set shall be retrained at no cost to the employer or the graduate for tuition fees.
    3. The Warranty may be redeemed by an employer in conjunction with a graduate employee if the graduate employee is unable to perform one or more of the competencies contained in the applicable curriculum or program guide in effect at the time of the individual’s graduation.
    4. This Warranty is applicable only to graduates of a technical AAS degree, diploma, or certificate of credit who entered the program after the date of implementation of the Warranty program.
    5. The Warranty shall remain in effect for one year immediately following the date of an individual’s graduation or completion of certificate. The Warranty shall be honored by the community college or technical college from which the individual graduated. In extenuating circumstances, as determined by the Chancellor, the graduate may be retrained by a school that did not issue the original certificate or diploma. In this circumstance the originating school shall reimburse the school that retrains for the cost of that retraining. The employer and graduate do not pay the tuition costs for the retraining.
    6. Any exception to this policy must be approved by the Chancellor.
    7. The Chancellor, or designee, shall develop procedures for implementing this policy.
    8. The Chancellor, or designee, shall resolve any disputes pertaining to this warranty policy.
    9. This policy is not intended to waive the sovereign immunity of TBR or any of its institutions or to create a cause of action for money damages or injunctive relief. This warranty can only be redeemed for retraining as described in this policy and has no cash value to the graduate or the employer.

Sources

Authority

T.C.A. § 49-8-203; T.C.A. § 49-11-402. 

History

New Policy approved at Board Meeting, Dec. 14, 2017.