One of the key platforms that allows for alignment and collaboration on critical workforce priorities is the Education and Workforce Collaborative Board (Collaborative), which was initiated through Governor's Executive Order 2020-551 to bring education and workforce development system partners together in one group so that all available resources may be efficiently and effectively aligned and measured to enhance and improve Kentucky's workforce development system. This 19-member Collaborative is made up of executive Cabinet leadership, education leaders from K-12, community, and post-secondary level, the state chamber of commerce, federal workforce training providers such as Jobs Corps, a local workforce board director, elected officials, and the state workforce board chair.
The Collaborative is chaired by the Governor or their designee, who is currently the Deputy Secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet. Over the calendar year 2023, this body has found great synergy in addressing critical workforce components that the state workforce board, the KWIB, has brought forward through the Strategic Plan. The quarterly Collaborative meetings are divided into two meetings focused on alignment in serving specific untapped talent pools and two meetings focused on alignment of system-level workforce development priorities. In 2023, the untapped pool gatherings focused on justice-involved and veterans in the commonwealth; through these meetings, Jobs on Day One was launched to address the former and a veteran's task force was formed to address the latter. From the system priorities side, the Collaborative addressed work-based learning and provided their priorities as they relate to building the WIOA State Plan. The future of the Collaborative is going to continue focusing on alignment, collaboration, and addressing the workforce development system through the wide lens of it being a true ecosystem of services.
In person attendance located at 500 Mero Street, Frankfort KY 40601 (subject to change, please contact Debbie.dennison@ky.gov if interested in attending in person)
The Kentucky Education and Workforce Collaborative – Implementing the KWIB Strategic Plan
2024 Education and Workforce Collaborative Meetings:
2023 Education and Workforce Collaborative Meetings:
To access past meeting information, kindly select the KWIB Quarterly tab located in the left navigation bar.