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Governor Steve Beshear's Communications Office
Kentucky receives nearly $1 million workforce grant
Funding awarded for exceeding adult education and literacy performance goals
FRANKFORT, Ky.– Kentucky is receiving a nearly $1 million grant for exceeding federal workforce investment performance goals for adult education and literacy. The grant will be used to encourage Kentuckians to pursue postsecondary education and provide career counseling and transition services for adults to continue their education.
“It is essential for Kentucky to have a highly educated and trained workforce that will meet the needs of the employers that already call Kentucky home and draw more employers to our state,” said Gov. Beshear. “These funds will help us reach Kentuckians with the message that they need education and training to compete in a 21st century workforce and to increase the quality of life for themselves and their families.”
Kentucky is one of 10 states that qualified to receive a federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) incentive grant based on fiscal year 2008-09 performance. The grant totals $964,785. Kentucky has received the incentive funds seven of the last 10 years for a total of $9,757,987.
“We are delighted that Kentucky has exceeded performance goals, and as a result, will receive incentive funds,” said Robert King, president of the Council on Postsecondary Education, the agency that coordinates Kentucky Adult Education. “This grant is very welcome news, especially during these difficult budget times. We are looking forward to using these funds to recruit and serve more Kentuckians in adult education programs across the state, and ultimately transitioning more of them to postsecondary education.”
To qualify for the grants, states must exceed agreed upon performance levels for Title I: WIA, and Title II: the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act. In Kentucky, the programs are administered by the Kentucky Department of Workforce Investment in the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet and the Council on Postsecondary Education’s Kentucky Adult Education system. The agencies must use the funds in innovative ways to reach Kentuckians.
The respective agencies plan to use the $964,785 grant to enhance transitioning services to postsecondary education and to reinforce the value of education to Kentuckians through a media campaign.
Reecie Stagnolia, vice president of Kentucky Adult Education, stated, “We congratulate adult educators across the state for their dedication and hard work leading to this incentive funding. Kentucky’s economic competitiveness is enhanced when we engage more students in adult education programs, produce more GED® graduates and transition more of those students on to postsecondary education.”
The funds will target customers in adult education and secondary vocational technical education who need career counseling and information to pursue higher education and training particularly in careers that are in high demand. The funds will also increase the outreach and awareness of Kentucky’s workforce development system and its partners during the current economic downturn.
“Without the efforts of the Local Workforce Investment Boards (LWIB) across the Commonwealth, we would not have qualified for this incentive grant,” said Beth Brinly, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Workforce Investment. “LWIBs are a vital part of meeting the education, skills training and employment needs of the adults and dislocated workers in our state.”
For more information about Kentucky Adult Education, visit http://kyae.ky.gov.
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