Higher education is really important to our community. Without a skilled and educated workforce we won’t be able to attract and retain the types of companies that will provide high-paying jobs. Yet the number of folks going to college has declined over the last 6 years by 7%. Only 66% of JCPS high school seniors are college bound, which is bad news for our community.
Making ends meet when you only have a high school diploma is really difficult, even in a place like Louisville where the cost of living is relatively low. The median income for those with a high school degree in Kentucky for three years after they graduate is only $11,511.
Two thirds of the new jobs that will be added to the economy over the next decade will require a bachelor’s degree or some other kind of postsecondary education. Unfortunately, Kentucky is not on track to meet this demand. This means that we will either have to import college graduates from other states or the jobs will be leaving to go where the grads are.
Postsecondary education is important to your bottom line- it has been estimated that a bachelor’s degree can add a million more dollars to your lifetime earnings. While that figure is certainly debatable, the bottom line is that having a better educated workforce can attract higher paying jobs to our community, which will in turn add revenue. Even an increase of one percent in bachelors degrees can add $938 to Louisville’s economy.
We have the leisure activities to attract job growth to our economy. We have the Urban Bourbon Trail and we are the culinary capital of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Our parks system continues to grow and expand. Our community is making great strides in achieving an enviable lifestyle. Now we need to get more of our graduating seniors into college, help those who put college on the back burner to get back on track, and get employers to work with employees to get those college degrees completed. Learn more about the importance of getting more college degrees into our community from this infographic.
Photos Courtesy of 55000 Degrees and COD Newsroom/Flickr
