The Postsecondary Educational Gap In Kentucky
A postsecondary education is incredibly important for two distinct reasons. First, it provides adults with the chance for a more livable wage, and second, it closes educational gaps in the workforce. In Kentucky, there are nearly 1.4 million adults without a degree past high school.
By 2031, 63% of employers in Kentucky will require a postsecondary education, so helping adults rejoin the education scene is becoming a primary goal for the state. Many challenges, however, are presented along the way including family obligations, financial challenges, work commitments, and academic readiness. 48% of adult learners have children and struggle to afford childcare, 50% receive a Pell Grant that only covers partial tuition, three in five have a full-time job on top of being a student, and many have been out of the system for so long they require additional educational support to be successful.
Because Kentucky has instituted an academic attainment goal of 60% for the population to have a postsecondary degree by 2030, adult learner success is a high priority. Systems have been put in place to help adult learners on the journey back to school. These include adult learner communities, workforce partnership opportunities, childcare support, and access to professional development.
