Workforce Development

A Robust Talent Pipeline

The Cincinnati region, including Northern Kentucky, is home to a skilled and educated young workforce. With prominent public and private academic centers such as Northern Kentucky University, Xavier University, University of Cincinnati, Miami University, Thomas More University and Gateway Community & Technical College, our region has robust workforce development opportunities and strong talent.

Every year, more than 80,000 degrees are awarded to students at higher education institutions within 75 miles of Northern Kentucky. These institutions represent a combined annual enrollment of more than 250,000 students.

Recent articles go into helpful detail about the landscape of education, workforce development, and the region’s rich talent pipeline:

NKY Works focus areas

Partnerships like NKY Works, a comprehensive workforce development and talent strategy initiative led by the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, and the Northern Kentucky Chapter of the Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) at Gateway Community & Technical College focus on filling gaps in workforce development and connecting middle and high school students to modern industry and non-traditional students and working adults to higher-wage jobs.

“It’s exciting to be starting a career in modern manufacturing, with so many opportunities and options here.”

Lauren Mountford, First Year Machinist Apprentice at Mubea

CONNECT
WITH  KIMBERLY

Kimberly Rossetti

VP of Economic Development

Workforce Development Programs for Business Retention

In addition to our robust higher education landscape, Northern Kentucky also incentivizes corporate and individual investments in workforce development.

Bluegrass State Skills Corporation Skills Training Investment Credit

Provides credit against Kentucky income tax to existing businesses that sponsor occupational or skills upgrades through workforce development training programs for the benefit of their employees.

Bluegrass State Skills Corporation Grant Reimbursement Program

Provides matching grant funds for customized business and industry-specific training programs.

Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce

Northern Kentucky is committed to workforce education to create a workforce that is ready for the industry of tomorrow. Through initiatives like the Ignite Institute, What’s So Cool About Manufacturing, and Making it Real: Girls in Manufacturing, the region is dedicated to helping students at the middle school and high school levels understand the opportunities that will be available to them in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and advanced manufacturing jobs.

Ignite Institute

In a lasting legacy to the Northern Kentucky community, Toyota donated its laboratory space to the Ignite Institute to develop a STEM-focused education center to serve the region. Boone County schools received a $6.8 million Work Ready Skills Initiative grant from the state of Kentucky to turn the lab into a school for early workforce development, which opened to students in Fall 2019.