AGENDA: Build a state-of-the-art workforce development system.

In-Depth: Fix the Basics 2

Just as education opens the door to personal prosperity, the knowledge and skills of a community’s workforce determine its prospects for economic success. Beyond Merger documented the urgent need to substantially raise education attainment and the skills of the region’s workforce as an essential step to enhancing its competitive position.

In Louisville Metro, the agenda to raise education attainment is gaining traction, as the key graphic shows. From 1990 – 2000, Louisville Metro led its peer cities in the rate of reduction in the percentage of residents who lacked a high-school diploma and in the rate of increase for the percentage with a bachelor’s degree.

The rate among younger adults (ages 25 – 34) is notable. In that critical age group, the percentage of Louisville Metro residents who hold at least a bachelor’s degree increased by a third between 1990 and 2000 – confirmation that the imperative to “Go Higher!” is taking hold.

Increasing enrollments in local institutions of higher learning has not been a steady, upward trend, however. Research by Paul Coomes of the University of Louisville, showed that enrollments climbed in the early 1990s, then dipped, and rebounded over the last five years. Those fluctuations underscore the need to sustain the push to raise education expectations for young people.

Other indicators point to an underlying need to better prepare them for higher education. The rate at which entering freshmen are assigned to remedial courses remains high, creating additional barriers to success and eating away at financial resources.

The University of Louisville has placed renewed emphasis on improving its historically low retention and graduation rates. Between 1998 and 2003, U. of L. raised the rate of freshmen who return from 78 percent to 83 percent and increased from 30 percent to 35 percent the number of students who graduate within six years. But that’s still only slightly more than one in three.

The most dramatic indication that Louisville is slowly gaining a more effective and coherent workforce system comes from the community and technical colleges. According to the new KentuckianaWorks Human Capital Scorecard, the number of students earning certificates below the level of associate degrees doubled in the 2002 – 2003 academic year, indicating growing demand for short-term training to upgrade skills.

Bottom Line
Sustain the Push To ”Go Higher” and Raise Education Attainment at All Levels