An Estill County student, accompanied by an associate from Toyota Manufacturing, signs a commitment letter during the Kentucky Community and Technical College System’s “Going Pro” signing day, marking the beginning of a journey into advanced manufacturing training. Photo by Myles Young, Kentucky Department of Education, April 4, 2025.
By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
The Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System have launched the statewide “Going Pro” initiative to celebrate students and graduates of Kentucky schools, area technology centers committing to high-demand careers.
Students signing career contracts said that without the education they received, they would not have known how to pursue the pathways that brought them to the signing table.
Beth Hargis, Kentucky’s education department’s associate commissioner in the Office of Career and Technical Education said, “the Going Pro event celebrated students’ achievements, emphasized the advantages of career and technical education at both the secondary and postsecondary levels and demonstrated how Kentucky can strengthen the workforce by collaborating towards a shared objective.”
“We are so proud of our students who are successfully starting careers in critical infrastructure jobs,” Hargis said. “These jobs are essential for the future of our Commonwealth, and at the same time, allow our graduates to achieve competitive salaries.”
The department’s Office of Career and Technical Education reports last year’s high school seniors earned more than 26,000 postsecondary credentials.
This spring, each of the 16 colleges within the community college system will be hosting events to celebrate the employment success of students and that Kentucky employers are filling high-skilled, in-demand job openings.
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