Dr. Aaron Thompson recently sat down with The Bottom Line to discuss the plan by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education to eliminate barriers to higher education opportunities in order to strengthen the state’s workforce.
The report illustrates the current landscape of postsecondary participation in Kentucky, noting that while Kentucky has one of the lowest workforce participation rates in the nation, Kentucky also ranks 35th in the nation in the educational attainment of its workforce.
Dr. Thompson said while Kentucky has closed gaps faster than any other state over the past five years, he said the goal is to increase the percentage of Kentuckians with a high-quality degree or certificate from 50% to 60% by 2030.
“We have adults in Kentucky who do not have the education and training they need to participate in the knowledge economy and are left with few options for employment that allow their families to thrive,” said Thompson when releasing the report.
In the plan, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education details key action steps that will be used to increase opportunities for Kentucky adults: increasing accessibility of higher education for adults, increasing institutional innovation to better serve adult learners, and reinforcing partnerships to make transitions easier.
“It’s going to take legislators, it’s going to take the executive branch, policy implementers, employers, all of us. But the idea is we all have the same goal, and that’s to create a stronger Kentucky,” Thompson said.
Watch the full interview:
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