Session Description:
CTE educators play a critical role in helping students connect classroom learning to real career opportunities. But strong employer partnerships do not happen by accident. They require communication, trust, shared expectations, and a clear understanding of what students, schools, and employers each need to be successful.
This interactive session is designed to center educators' voices while helping shape stronger education-to-employment partnerships across Kentucky. The Kentucky Chamber Foundation will briefly share lessons learned from initiatives such as Bus to Business®, Educator’s Guide to Industry, and Youth Hiring Academies, then quickly shift to a facilitated conversation with participants.
Together, we will explore what is working well in school-employer partnerships, where connections are missing or inconsistent, and what barriers make work-based learning, site visits, guest speakers, career exploration, and student employment more difficult to implement.
Through live polling, discussion, and peer sharing, participants will have the opportunity to exchange practical ideas, identify common challenges, and name the kinds of employer engagement, resources, and supports that would make this work easier and more meaningful for students.
Educator insights from this session will inform how the Kentucky Chamber Foundation works with employers, business leaders, and partners to strengthen career-connected learning and improve how businesses show up for schools, educators, and students across the Commonwealth.
Takeaways:
- Have your voice shape how employers show up for schools
- Walk away with practical ideas from peers across Kentucky
- Help identify, for the employer community, the barriers schools face when interacting with businesses
- Influence future education-to-career partnerships and resources
