Established as a statewide system by the enactment of the Tennessee Legislature during the 1963 General Assembly, Tennessee College of Applied Technology Memphis operates under the direction of the Tennessee Board of Regents.

The first vocational programs opened at the Tech High School in 1963. Later with the addition of more programs, both Tech and Humes High Schools served as sites for post-secondary classes after regular high school hours. In June 1964, these programs, along with other vocational programs, were moved to the 591 Washington campus from which the first class graduated in June 1964. Two additional buildings were utilized-the Law Street Building at Washington and Law streets and the old Board of Education building at 317 Poplar Avenue. Classes operated by the Manpower Development Training Act were taught side by side on campus. The school moved to a 14-acre campus at 620 Mosby Avenue in July 1968. A 42,000-square foot addition, housing 11 new programs and increasing the existing facilities by approximately one-third, was opened in 1977. The main offices of the campus moved to 550 Alabama Avenue in February 1992. The Aviation Campus opened in 1970 on a four-acre site at Memphis International Airport. The new Aviation Campus opened in March 1997. The new 47,647 sq. ft., training facility is located on five acres of land. The Aircraft Mechanics Program was initially certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on October 13, 1969. It was located at the Memphis International Airport in a 26,000-square foot facility on Winchester Road. Due to airport expansion, the school was moved to a temporary location at 4225 Airways Boulevard.

The school has graduated thousands of certified airframe and power plant mechanics who are presently employed in the aviation industry at such places as Federal Express and Northwest Airlink. The Avionics Program was initiated at the Aviation Campus on January 1, 2003. In July 2007, the state granted Tennessee College of Applied Technology Memphis 1.2 million dollars to purchase equipment for the school. Anticipating high demand for post-secondary education in 2010 and 2011, Tennessee College of Applied Technology Memphis acquired approximately four acres of land on the northeast corner of Alabama Avenue to address capacity issues. An Assistant Animal Laboratory Technology program was initiated in March of 2007. It is one of three of its kind in the nation. Tennessee College of Applied Technology Memphis developed a Foundation in 2002 to assist with project funding for the school. Since the inception of the Foundation there have been tremendous strides and the funds today exceed $1.2 million. The college is continuing its effort to increase capacity to address the growing needs of students and the training needs of local businesses and industry. The college recently received 16.9 million dollars in state and private sources to build a new instructional training center in Bartlett, Tennessee. The new facility will house seven programs and enroll up to two hundred additional students annually. The college also received approximately 6 million dollars to renovate existing training space and construct a new building that will hold diesel mechanics, automotive technology, and a welding program. Tennessee College of Applied Technology Memphis also enhances training capacity by working with local high schools to enroll over 600 dual enrollment students at various high schools throughout Shelby County.

In 2013 Tennessee Technology Center Memphis’ name was changed to Tennessee College of Applied Technology Memphis. The college operates under the direction of the Tennessee Board of Regents. The policy and guideline manuals of the Tennessee Board of Regents are the guiding instruments for the operating policies and procedures of the college.

President

Roland Rayner