Kentucky Workforce Summit - Agenda Topics

Agenda is tentative and subject to change.

 

DAY 1 – Tuesday, February 17, 2026

  • The State of Kentucky’s Workforce 
  • Voting Rights for Convicted Felons and Fair Chances 
  • Strengthening Kentucky’s Talent Pipeline: Insights from the 2025 State Opportunity Index Report 
  • The Culture Blueprint: Exploring the Systems that Shape Success
  • College Board 
  • Employer Academy Impact in Action: How Kentucky Employers are Building Stronger Workforce
  • Housing Challenges Across the Commonwealth and the Impact on the Workforce. 
  • Kentucky's Meaningful Diploma Blueprint: Stakeholder Informed Solutions for Workforce Readiness
  • Building Bridges: Connecting Your Business with Service Members Entering the Civilian Workforce
  • Strategic Employer Partnerships: From Innovation to Implementation

 

DAY 2 – Wednesday, February 18, 2026

  • Unlocking Workforce Potential: Insights from Mercer’s Inside Employees’ Minds 
  • Filling the Scrubs: Growing Kentucky’s Health Care Talent Pipeline
  • The Importance of an Entrepreneurial Mindset for Workforce Development
  • BREAKOUT: (choose one)
    • Money for Nothing—and Your Workers for (Almost) Free: Leveraging AI to Unlock Tax Credits, Training Programs, and Other Free Resources to Help Employees Deal with Medical Debt, Get Industry Certifications, and More 
    • Economic and Workforce Trends in the Industrial Sector
  • BREAKOUT: (choose one)
    • Growing P(AI)ns: Considerations for the Effective Use of AI in Hiring and Staffing Decisions 
    • Implementing Employer Supported Child Care Policies – Where Do We Go Next?
  • Implementing AI in Your Organization 
  • BREAKOUT: (choose one)
    • Strengthening Kentucky’s Workforce: Employer Success Stories from the SWATT Approach
    • Building Tomorrow’s Workforce Today: Purpose-Driven Strategies to Recruit, Retain, and Engage Kentucky Talent
  • BREAKOUT: (choose one)
    • Transforming Community Partnerships Through Data: Kentucky's Groundbreaking Asset MAP Platform
    • Culture as Your Competitive Advantage