By the year 2020, it’s projected that 62 percent of the jobs in Kentucky will require at least some postsecondary education or training.
Pathways for Tomorrow’s Workforce: A KET Forum explores how Kentucky’s K-12 public education system is helping students successfully prepare for their transition to postsecondary college or career.
Hosted by KET’s Renee Shaw, the one-hour, town-hall forum features a panel of education and workforce leaders who discuss the state’s efforts to prepare students for careers and life beyond school.
Panelists include:
- Wayne Lewis, Kentucky’s interim commissioner of education
- Beth Davisson, executive director of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Center
- Derrick Ramsey, Secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Education and Workforce Development
- Michael Ford, superintendent of Russell County Public Schools.
Additionally, workforce development strategist Ted Abernathy shares his thoughts on the workforce talent gap facing many states, including Kentucky, while suggesting strategies for how best to close it.
The program explores various best-practices for preparing students for life after high school, including the incorporation of career pathways, pre-apprenticeships and other work-based learning experiences into school curriculums. University of Louisville College of Dentistry student McKayla Hamlin and Daikerra Sweat, a student at Lexington’s Frederick Douglass High School, share how the opportunity to explore career pathways has set them up for success.
Viewers also see a thriving pre-apprenticeship program in action in Russell Springs, where Dr. Schneider Automotive Systems has partnered with Russell County High School and the Lake Cumberland Area Technology Center to offer hands-on learning experiences for students.