Teachers play a pivotal role in career readiness
The signs are everywhere: young children walking into school with bouquets, coffee shops offering free treats, heartfelt shout-outs flooding social media, and banners of gratitude draped across buildings. It can only mean one thing: It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5–9.
Teachers have always deserved our thanks. But this year, that appreciation carries even greater urgency. We’re facing a critical teacher shortage that threatens the future of our education system. For NKY Works, teachers play a pivotal role in our focus on Career Readiness. The work they do daily impacts the ability of our youth to fill needed jobs now and into the future.
Across the state, there are more than 11,000 open teaching positions in K–12 schools. Turnover is a major factor: in the 2022–23 school year, nearly one in four teachers (24.9%) didn’t return to the classroom. Teachers cite several reasons for leaving, including scheduled retirements, low pay relative to their education level, and a growing sense that the profession isn’t respected (Kentucky Teacher).
However, the supply side is struggling as well. Enrollment in teacher preparation programs has declined for more than a decade. To address this, the state has launched alternative certification pathways and accelerated degree options. Locally, NKU now offers a fast-track cohort program to help paraeducators earn their degrees in three years, with mentoring and credit for work experience. At the high school level, our schools are promoting dual-credit education courses and Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways to spark interest early.
Recognizing the crisis, the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (KWIB) recently named education one of the state’s five “in-demand” industries, alongside healthcare, construction, professional services, and manufacturing/logistics. The designation, based on a rigorous two-phase analysis, helps unlock state and federal funding and directs attention to education as a sector critical to Kentucky’s economic future. (Read more about the high-impact industry designation process here.)
Fixing this crisis will take long-term, coordinated action across the education and workforce ecosystems. But today, there is something each one of us can do:
Thank a teacher.
Let them know you see their work, value their efforts, and believe in the vital role they play in shaping our children—and our state’s future.
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Career Readiness is one of five priorities for NKY Works, along with Early Childhood Education, Work-Ready Adults, Talent Attraction and Promotion, and Employer Best Practices. You are invited to join their work. Or, if workforce-development challenges hamstring your business, NKY Works can help. Reach us at 859.657.WRKS (9757) or NKYWorks@NKADD.org