Workplace Competency
Kentucky employers are faced with rapidly changing technology, the needs of a diverse workforce, the issues associated with moving toward high performance work systems, and on-time delivery at the lowest possible costs for customers. Many of today's workers, young and old alike, lack the necessary knowledge and skills to maintain a consistently high level of productivity and efficiency and are often unable to adapt to emerging technologies. The knowledge and skill level of Kentuckians do not match up well with the new high-tech jobs of the future. The U.S. Commerce Department estimates that the demand for workers in high-tech occupations requiring at least an associate degree will increase by 57 percent by the year 2006.

Educational Attainment
Kentucky ranks last in the nation in the percentage of adults over 25 who have a high school diploma and 48th in the nation in the percent of its population with a bachelor's degree. Nearly 44 percent of Kentuckians lack the knowledge and skills to fully participate in the Commonwealth's economy. Only 53 percent of Kentucky's students attend college directly out of high school, and many of those who do are required to take remedial and developmental courses to prepare them for college-level work. This problem is exacerbated by Kentucky's continuing struggles with high secondary school dropout rates, uneven access to postsecondary resources, low motivation, high attrition and the lowest levels of adult literacy in the nation.

Earning Power
The per capita income of Kentuckians is only 81 percent of the national average. Without some education or training beyond high school, most workers can expect to earn little more than subsistence wages. Sadly, single-parent households, usually headed by women, remain the poorest of the working poor. Expanded access to postsecondary education and training is essential if Kentuckians are to advance to higher paying jobs in the 21st century.

Globalization
Information technology, the Internet, and falling trade barriers enable Kentucky businesses to buy and sell goods and services internationally, which presents the enormous challenge of finding workers with an appreciation for the business methods, economic systems and cultures of their international counterparts. In short, we compete in an intensely competitive global economy. Failure to break down cultural and educational barriers will impede our progress in developing new avenues of economic prosperity for business and industry and for the citizens of the Commonwealth.