VERSAILLES, Ky. — The Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) unveiled a first-of-its-kind online GIS (mapping) program that visualizes, aggregates and analyzes education, workforce and socioeconomic data in every county across the Commonwealth.
This tool is designed to improve lawmakers’, community leaders’, researchers’ and other stakeholders’ understanding of the trends emerging at the intersection of education and workforce development.
“At KCTCS, we are committed to bettering the lives of Kentuckians,” Dr. Paul Czarapata, KCTCS President, said. “Our GIS tool – conceived and created by some of the best minds at KCTCS – will help do just that for students, employees and employers in every industry. We are confident this valuable tool will give communities across Kentucky valuable insights on the trajectory of education and employment needs so that they can respond accordingly to create a stronger workforce, stronger businesses and a stronger economy.”
With over 20 years of experience, and more than one million students served to date, KCTCS believes that the best chance at increasing the health and prosperity of Kentuckians is to make sure that our education systems are efficient and accessible to as many people as possible.
As a result, the GIS tool was designed to provide clear alignment between KCTCS-offered programs, workforce needs and challenges facing Kentucky’s industries to better identify and respond to ever-evolving, location-specific situations.
Generously funded by the James Graham Brown Foundation, the Kentucky Education to Workforce GIS Application combines data integration, data analysis, research and dissemination to project answers to key questions, including but not limited to: (1) how many jobs will be available in 2030; (2) what is the ratio of graduates to jobs in a Kentucky county; (3) what are the state’s future economic conditions; and (4) how is population changing/shifting. For more information or to use the GIS tool, https://systemoffice.kctcs.edu/institutional-research/education-gis/
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