KCTCS NEWS RELEASE - for immediate release
Contact: Brendan Lehane, (859) 246-3305
KCTCS raises grade for state's workforce development
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) is getting national recognition for expanding educational opportunities and strengthening Kentucky's workforce.
According to Measuring Up 2004, a study done every two years by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, "Kentucky has recently made a heavy investment in its community and technical college system, enabling these institutions to play a much stronger role in workforce development. These investments appear to have paid off in the form of higher-than-average proportions taking and passing licensure examinations in fields like nursing and physical therapy."
The national higher education study also recognized the continued success of KCTCS in preparing students for workplace assessment examinations, "Two-year college students perform at high levels on the Work Keys examination - an instrument designed to measure applied academic skills - and this is especially the case for business writing."
The Measuring Up study recognized Kentucky as one of only five states to be given a "plus" in the category of learning. The plus recognizes the states' participation in a pilot project which measures literacy levels and readiness skills of college graduates.
"Much of the state's recognition in these areas can be directly attributed to the passage of the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997 and the establishment of KCTCS," said Sue Moore, executive vice-president of the Council on Postsecondary Education.
"We're gaining ground compared to what's going on across the country and it shows that policy really does matter," Moore said.
In addition, Kentucky recently was recognized in a leading international economic development publication, Expansion Management. The magazine awarded the state's industrial workforce training programs with high honors, ranking Kentucky fifth in the nation in its annual survey of industrial site selection consultants.
KCTCS has over 80,000 students in 16 colleges on 65 campuses across the Commonwealth. Since 1998, KCTCS has instituted over 1,800 new occupational/technical programs. Over 150,000 individuals have taken KCTCS workforce training and continuing education programs.
"KCTCS is the primary provider of workforce training," said Michael B. McCall, president of KCTCS. "We will continue to strengthen the development of our communities as we strive to be recognized as a national leader in workforce training and economic development."
Other findings in the Measuring Up 2004 report:
Over the past decade, Kentucky has improved substantially in the proportion of students earning a certificate or degree in a timely manner.
Compared with other states, large percentages of first-year students in community colleges and four-year colleges and universities return for their second year.
Over the past decade, Kentucky has been among the fastest improving states in the proportion of students completing certificates and degrees relative to the number enrolled.
Over the past decade, Kentucky has seen notable increases in the benefits to the state from having a more highly educated population. Kentucky earned a B in benefits this year.
Kentucky was one of only five states to improve in four indicators of higher-education quality in the last 10 years. The report listed Kentucky's improvement in four areas - Preparation, Participation, Completion and Benefits to the state.
KCTCS colleges change lives by providing academic and technical associate degrees; diploma and certificate programs in occupational fields; pre-baccalaureate education; adult, continuing and developmental education; customized training for business and industry; and distance learning. For more information, visit www.kctcs.edu.