UT helping rural Tennessee overcome tech knowledge gap | Opinion

• Emerging technology like AI and big data is becoming integral to every economic sector in Tennessee.
• A digital readiness gap exists, particularly in rural areas with limited broadband access and lower educational attainment.
• The future of work requires digital skills for all workers, not just those in traditional tech jobs.
• The University of Tennessee aims to improve tech literacy and entrepreneurship through its statewide extension offices.

Emerging technology is no longer “the tech sector.” Computing, automation, big data and artificial intelligence are becoming the invisible layer in every sector, from manufacturing and logistics to health care, agriculture, and government. A revolution with unstoppable momentum is happening. Is every Tennessean positioned to benefit when it does?

With wages rising from $63,752 to $66,580 in 2024, November 2025 unemployment at 3.6% and nonfarm employment up 34,800 jobs over the year, Tennessee’s economy looks strong. Yet a healthy economy can hide a readiness gap, especially in rural communities, where opportunity can be one broadband outage away.

Workers will need to master digital skills and tools  

Where will the work be? Tennessee’s largest sectors will still look familiar, but the work inside them is changing. Computing occupations are projected to grow about 2.5% annually through 2032, and AI, data, cybersecurity, and automation will reshape tasks across the rest. That’s why the priority isn’t only producing more software developers; it’s ensuring every Tennessean can work, learn, and build with digital tools. The future of work is digital even when the job title is not.

That reality collides with two barriers: education and connectivity. Tennessee’s share of adults with some college or higher (58.22%) trails the national level (about 64.6%). And while only 2% of urban residents lack broadband coverage at minimum standards, 34% of rural residents do.

Rural connectivity gap hampers entrepreneurship

And because about 88.5% of Tennessee employers are small businesses (one to 19 employees), Tennessee is already a state of entrepreneurs. The next wave of technology puts powerful tools in everyone’s hands. It will reward the curious, people who dream big, tinker, and turn ideas into something real. But when rural communities lack reliable broadband and tech literacy, the digital gap becomes an entrepreneurship gap that can erase this advantage.

These gaps show up early in the college pipeline. THEC reports Tennessee’s seamless college-going rate for the class of 2024 was 56.0%, and economically disadvantaged students enrolled at 38.7% versus 64.9% for their peers. When a student has to drive for reliable internet to complete FAFSA or apply to TCAT, college access becomes a transportation and technology problem, not just an academic one.

Tennessee has great momentum, but not yet inclusive infrastructure for opportunity so that every Tennessean can dream big, learn fast, and build.

University of Tennessee plays special role in tech literacy

Our response in education can’t be a single program; it has to be a redesign of seamless connectivity: stackable, flexible pathways with multiple entry and exit points. If K-12, TCATs, community colleges, and universities align credentials, a short-term certificate can stack into an associate degree, then a bachelor’s, without losing credit or time. Work experience should be integrated in the education journey, too.

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, as our flagship land-grant, has a special responsibility here. The place-based and statewide UT Extension offices can become front doors for free digital and emerging tech literacy and entrepreneurship support. If curiosity is our power, then access to knowledge and the chance to tinker with it must be our public utility to position Tennessee for success.

Ozlem Kilic is Vice Provost and founding dean of the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is an expert in emerging technology and higher education innovation.