The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence has released results of the 2024 Meaningful Diploma Employer Survey, offering critical insights into the workforce readiness of Kentucky’s high school graduates based on responses from over 600 employers in more than 20 industries in the state.
“Kentucky’s high school diploma must be evidence that Kentucky’s high school students are prepared for post-high school success,” said Prichard Committee President and CEO Brigitte Blom. “While we celebrate Kentucky’s high graduation rate, the reality is that too many students leave high school without the academic knowledge, career preparation, and durable skills needed to succeed in college and the workforce. Ensuring Kentucky’s high school diploma is meaningful is about giving every Kentucky student genuine opportunities for economic mobility, strengthening our talent pipeline, and ensuring our state’s future prosperity.”
The findings include:
- While 56 percent of Kentucky employers report moderate to high confidence in the preparedness of recent high school graduates, only 12 percent express strong confidence, with 14 percent reporting none. Employers identified significant gaps in essential workplace competencies, such as professionalism, critical thinking, and communication, with less than 10% rating graduates as well-prepared in these areas.
- Durable skills, including professionalism, work ethic, interpersonal skills, and emotional intelligence, are viewed as critical for success by 78.5 percent of employers. The findings underscore the importance of integrating these skills into K-12 education to better prepare students for life beyond high school.
- Practical work experience is highly valued by employers, yet only 21 percent currently offer these opportunities. Encouragingly, over 54 percent of employers expressed a willingness to provide work-based learning, signaling significant potential to expand real-world learning opportunities for students.
- Collaboration between schools and businesses is viewed as essential by 83.7 percent of employers surveyed. However, only half of respondents have engaged with K-12 schools, and less than 20 percent report frequent interactions. Employers showed strong interest in partnering on curriculum development (55 percent) and supporting career preparation initiatives (65 percent), highlighting the need for stronger communication and coordination.
- The report identifies key challenges in implementing workforce readiness programs, including a lack of qualified instructors or mentors (50 percent), student engagement challenges (45.8 percent), and scheduling coordination difficulties (45.1 percent).
The full report is available for download here.
By Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
