Toolkits > Ready for Work: Essential Skills for Kentucky Jobs

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onversations in Kentucky about student preparedness are more focused than ever. Employers, parents, educators and students are interested in finding answers to such questions as: How well prepared are students to enter college and the workforce? What skills are considered essential for new employees? What makes an individual an attractive candidate for employment?

As the voice of Kentucky employers in education issues, the Partnership for Kentucky Schools commissioned statewide research to find out what those four groups think about those issues. The results are published in the four-volume report Ready for Work: Essential Skills for Kentucky Jobs, the centerpiece of a toolkit designed to help communities address issues related to student performance and preparation.

The toolkit offers a dialogue guide that explains how an organization can host and facilitate a discussion among business leaders, parents, educators, and students.

Groups or individuals who would find this toolkit helpful:

Employers, business organizations, chambers of commerce
Parents, parent organizations
School boards
Teachers, guidance counselors, school administrators
Students
Postsecondary education and training professionals
Civic groups interested in promoting educational quality

Examples of community issues the toolkit could be used to address:

Shortage of qualified workers to fill area jobs
Communication gaps between businesses and schools
Long-range economic development planning

Types of processes that could be used to put the toolkit to work at the school or community level:

Representatives of the four groups could study the toolkit - particularly the reports including the other groups' perspectives - and come together for a facilitated conversation about specific community needs. The Partnership for Kentucky Schools can provide contact information for facilitators.
The toolkit could be used as an information resource with a general objective of improving communication among the four groups.

Individuals and groups who could most effectively implement this toolkit:

Representatives, including opinion leaders and decision makers, of the four groups whose perspectives are conveyed in the reports

Anticipated outcome if the toolkit is used successfully:

Communities will develop strategies (that could include curriculum changes, community programs, and partnerships with business) to address the disconnect - academic and attitudinal - between high school work and what students will experience after graduation.

Download entire toolkit (428 KB, pdf)

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Download toolkit by section:

The Employer Perspective (122 KB, pdf)
The Student Perspective (77 KB, pdf)
The Educator Perspective (93 KB, pdf)
The Parent Perspective (87 KB, pdf)
Dialogue Guide and Communications Kit (105 KB, pdf)

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