As of March 2018, there were 6.6 million job vacancies in the US, signaling a shortage of skilled workers. Furthermore, a 2017 McKinsey survey of young people and employers reported that 40 percent of employers said a lack of skills was the principal reason for entry-level job vacancies, which demonstrates that the current education and training…

In late 2020, Kentucky community and technical colleges participated in a national study of community college workforce education. Kentucky was one of 14 states where education authorities volunteered to encourage colleges to respond early enough in 2020 to receive preliminary statewide results in January 2021. This brief compares Kentucky to the…

Purpose/Objectives: Farm to school (FTS) programs have many benefits, including potential for increased consumption of fruits and vegetables by students. However, there are challenges with hourly school nutrition employees' abilities to successfully process local produce and promote it to students. The purpose of this study was to identify…

Community colleges are using grants and workforce partnerships to train a new generation of technology workers. In September, the Obama administration awarded $450 million in grants to nearly 270 community colleges that have partnered with more than 400 employers nationally. It was the final installment of a four-year, $2 billion competitive grant…

Few industries are as critical to the U.S. economy as transportation. Skilled automotive, railroad, and airline technicians shuttle the goods and people that drive every aspect of domestic and international commerce. The transportation sector offers some of the most exciting opportunities for workers to address critical issues of this time:…

Purpose: The number of children requiring dysphagia management in the schools is increasing. This article reports survey findings relative to speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') training and self-rated confidence to treat children with swallowing and feeding disorders in the schools. Method: Surveys were completed by 222 SLPs representing…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) State of American Business: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Says U.S. Could Face a "Severe Worker Shortage" Unless…

This report of an assessment of the hospitality/tourism industry in Kentucky begins with a history/description of the hospitality/tourism industry written from research; the hospitality/tourism training programs conducted by various institutions in the state are also described. For the assessment itself, two survey instruments were prepared and…

A study identified health occupations education programs currently offered to handicapped students and health occupations positions now occupied by handicapped employees throughout the state of Kentucky. In addition, the study allowed for assessment of respondent's attitudes toward educating and working with handicapped individuals. Of 1649…

A study investigated why single parents and displaced homemakers did not choose nontraditional careers more frequently. A survey was administered to 171 men and women in 7 locations in Kentucky who were enrolled in single parent/homemaker programs or in Job Training Partnership Act, vocational training, or associate degree programs. The six-part…

This package contains instructor's guide sheets and student task assignment sheets for Modules R 1-45 of the competency-based curriculum in retailing developed for use in secondary and postsecondary schools in Kentucky. Some of the topics covered in the modules include the following: retailing--past, present, and future; retailing occupations;…