NKyTribune staff
The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (NKY Chamber) announced on Monday a new strategic initiative committed to strengthening the region’s workforce.
Rhonda Whitaker, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Board Chair, cuts the ribbon for the new GROW NKY space at the offices of the Chamber and Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, surrounded by some of the contributors to the initiative (photos by Mark Hansel). Click photos to enlarge.
The initiative – Growing Regional Outcomes through Workforce (GROW) for Northern Kentucky – is a comprehensive, holistic workforce development/talent strategy focused on leveraging the community’s full complement of assets to grow, attract, and retain a globally competitive workforce.
GROW NKY will be led by the NKY Chamber in conjunction with key workforce partners including Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation, Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board, Partners for a Competitive Workforce, Northern Kentucky Education Council, Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services, Brighton Center and Children, Inc./NaviGo.
“Workforce continues to be one of the key challenges for employers around the country, and with the exceptional economic growth that our region continues to experience, the NKY Chamber is excited to lead the region, in conjunction with many outstanding partners in the workforce arena, to move the needle on all aspects of our talent pipeline,” said Rhonda Whitaker, NKY Chamber Board Chair and Vice President, Community Relations – Ohio & Kentucky for Duke Energy. “GROW NKY is establishing critical short-term and long-term goals to address both supply and demand needs that will strengthen our high demand sectors and provide opportunities for students and adults alike.
“Aligning workforce activities in our region will show prospective and expanding companies that we have the best business climate in the nation. It’s an attainable vision, and one that this region is ready to tackle through proven collaboration and consensus-building.”
Members of the GROW NKY initiative team convene around a conference table following Monday’s ribbon-cutting
The initiative will focus on ensuring Northern Kentucky can attract future businesses and retain current businesses as a result of a strategic workforce effort, unique to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The NKY Regional Alliance provided strategic support and played a pivotal role in orchestrating the funding necessary to launch GROW NKY.
“The Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance and our member companies are very supportive of this comprehensive workforce strategy that will drive our community forward as we look to educate, attract and retain our future talent,” said Karen Finan, President & CEO, Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance. “This initiative is incredibly important to NKY and we are pleased to have the opportunity to support the NKY Chamber and all partners involved with the GROW NKY Workforce Initiative.”
Low unemployment numbers in Northern Kentucky, just 3.2 percent compared to 4.1 percent statewide, contribute to the need to give due attention to finding qualified workers and ensuring that the educational system in conjunction with local employers can provide long-term career awareness and experiential learning opportunities to students.
Guests tour the GROW NKY space following Monday’s ribbon-cutting.
“The NKY Education Council convenes education, business and community leaders to focus on specific outcomes that lead to each and every one of our youth being prepared for college, career and life,” said Randy Poe, superintendent of Boone County Schools and chair of the NKY Education Council. “GROW NKY both supports and complements the continuing work of the Council by building capacity and maximizing resources.”
According to the Kentucky Center for Education and Workforce Statistics’ Northern Kentucky Local Workforce Area Occupational Outlook report, total job openings are expected to be around 7,309 annually. Closing the gap between the number of jobs available and a qualified workforce will be imperative to meeting both the supply and demand needs of the region’s talent pipeline.
“What makes GROW NKY such an important initiative for Children, Inc. is the cradle to career approach to solving issues in our community,” said Shannon Starkey-Taylor, CEO of Children, Inc. “Our organization follows the same belief that working with families at critical points will have a lasting effect on the individual and our community. We are looking forward to the collaborative efforts of GROW NKY to improve the wellbeing of children and families in NKY.”
GROW NKY will focus on five key pillars – Kindergarten Readiness, College & Career Readiness, Adult Career Readiness & Life Long Learning, Talent Retention & Attraction, and Employer Policies & Practices – each including respective short and long-term goals.
Espressos featuring the names of GROW NKY sponsors was served by Valet Coffee at the ribbon-cutting (click to enlarge).
“There are really so many organizations involved in this effort and if you look at the various five pillars that drive this work and the committees under these five pillars, we’ve got over 50 organizations in this region engaged in this effort,” Whitaker said. “What I see is that this community has really shown its belief that we can change lives, that this work can change lives and transform our region. We know there are going to be both short-term and long term benefits – benefits to students, benefits to the unemployed and the underemployed and to our high-demand sectors, our businesses in this community and the overall talent pipeline.”
Work in each pillar will be geared toward the high-demand sectors in Northern Kentucky: Advanced Manufacturing, IT, Advanced Logistics, Health Sciences, Financial Services and Construction. Based on core competencies, each pillar will be led by one of the participating workforce partners, each of which has committed at least one Program Associate to work with GROW NKY.
“What if every employer in Northern Kentucky had an apprentice, co-op or intern?” said Brent Cooper, president and CEO of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. “We know statistically kids who gain that kind of experience during high school get better grades, are more likely to graduate, and are more likely to be hired after high school. That is just one of the outcomes we hope to ‘GROW’ through this effort.”
GROW NKY offices are located in the Chamber Center Building (300 Buttermilk Pike, Third Floor, Fort Mitchell), adjacent to the offices of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED and the NKY Chamber. To learn more about GROW NKY, click here or contact Leisa Mulcahy, managing director, at (859) 578-6396.
