Jurisdiction
The task force shall identify the issues currently facing Kentucky employers with attraction and retention of skilled and talented workers and shall consult with officials and other entities in other states and in local and regional communities in Kentucky to study how they are marketing their communities’ quality of life, strengths, and job opportunities to address workforce needs throughout Kentucky. The task force shall establish the parameters of the study and consult with the Cabinet for Economic Development, which shall hire a consulting and strategic firm to evaluate and develop legislative recommendations and policy options on creating a marketing program for Kentucky to attract and retain skilled and talented workers and developing recommendations for the General Assembly to create a grant fund program for a statewide workforce attention and retention marketing campaign and a local or regional workforce attention and retention marketing campaign. The task force shall review current education and workforce development programs to identify, enhance, and expand programs to facilitate the training and employment of historically untapped workforce populations and the challenges that may prevent Kentuckians from participating in the workforce, including but not limited to barriers related to transportation, housing, child care, disabilities, professional licensing, education and training, public assistance and benefits cliffs, substance abuse disorder, and criminal records. The task force shall study economic and labor force data related to workforce as well as long-term demographic trends impacting Kentucky, the region, and the United States. The task force shall identify consensus-driven public policy solutions, opportunities for public-private partnerships and ways to ensure the Commonwealth is adequately tracking workforce data, needs, setting goals and measuring progress in all parts of the state and communicate with employers, industry representatives, and economic development and site selection professionals to better understand how workforce challenges affect different industries and business investment, expansion, and relocation considerations by private sector industries.