Beshear to biz leaders: Let’s create new jobs and then keep them in KY
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Beshear promotes job growth via pre-K access, tech education, and housing aid.
- State partners with colleges, businesses to align curriculum with job needs.
- Economic plans focus on infrastructure, sustainability, and local supply ties.
With only about two years left in his second term as Kentucky’s governor, Andy Beshear Tuesday shared his vision to attract jobs and then keep them in the commonwealth with a roomful of the state’s business leaders.
Part of his continued approach, he said at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s member-exclusive public affairs forum, is to make pre-K available to all families and create avenues for more career and technical education.
The two-term Democrat said he’s looking for ways to aid developers in the creation of more affordable housing units and said he will continue to rely on a team of economic development professionals to guide the state toward more jobs and more investment that stays ahead of industry trends.
Here’s what else he told the chamber’s members.
On workforce participation
“What we’ve got to do is make sure that we give dignity to all work and that all kids are able to find a path, a skill, a trade, or go on to higher education,” Beshear said. “But we shouldn’t lose one single graduation senior to do nothing or to not have something lined up by the time they graduate. We launched an ‘everybody counts’ program that we’re slowly building out. And that idea is anybody who’s going to go on to higher education, let’s make sure you’re connected to all the resources to do it. If not, let’s introduce you to a specific employer to make sure you have a job before you graduate.”
Beshear said the state’s community college system has begun opening its doors to employers and other businesses, an important step in getting the state’s high school and college graduates employed as soon as possible.
“(Kentucky Community Technical College System), which is now opening the doors and inviting companies in, is saying, ‘Tell us what you need. Tell us your curriculum. We will make sure that that matches up with a degree that we offer or a certificate that we offer, and we will graduate people ready to go into your facility that, at the same time, have improved their educational standard,’” he said.
On his economic development strategy
Beshear said the state takes a team effort approach to attracting new business and jobs.
“We believe in a long-term relationship with all of our companies, existing, new, big and small,” Beshear said.
“We’ve got a good set of incentives that are earned. So, if a company gets dollars, it means they’re creating jobs and making investments. But we also have that ability for people to come back. If they’re going to do an expansion, the state’s going to help them.”
Investment on the front end from the state paired with the benefits of the Kentucky Product Development Initiative program has made it so new businesses or those looking to expand can do it here faster than anywhere else, he said. The product development initiative puts money into local governments to get industrial sites build-ready.
On sustainable power needs
“When we look at the power demand versus the power supply, what we see is that we shouldn’t be taking an existing source of power offline and that we can’t change all of our means of production power at the same time,” Beshear said. “When we have this huge extra demand that’s coming, what we can do is look at what we’re going to build new and make sure that that helps us have the best portfolio that we need.
“The data centers, the AI centers, our approach on those is No. 1, they’ve got to create jobs and No. 2, the price of power for those facilities shouldn’t be worn on the backs of our families.”On staying ahead of industry trends
“How do we connect as many Kentucky companies with Kentucky suppliers to the next Kentucky company down the line,” Beshear said.
“We had an online tool that some companies used. I don’t think that’s the ultimate answer, but I think that’s the next step in economic development is sitting down and not just figuring out your workforce, but figuring out what you need to make your product or do your service and trying to put as many of those Kentucky companies in front of you. We decrease transportation costs and increase efficiency. I think it could be a big benefit.”
On getting federal infrastructure investment
“One thing I’m doing is assuring that any dollars that are promised to us come,” he said. “I’m joining some lawsuits, and I want you to know that that’s not because I’m a Democrat and this president is a Republican. It’s because I am committed to being the best governor I can of Kentucky and this money was appropriated by Congress. It is under contract and we rely on it. So, I think it’s really important that the federal government keeps its word.”
On quality of life
“We’ve got to get beyond just the costs because a CEO looking to move their business or start their business here is also looking at what it’s like to move their family here,” Beshear said. “So, we’re trying to marry economic development, tourism and workforce together.”
On affordable housing
“I was never a developer before, but in building these neighborhoods in Eastern Kentucky, we’re realizing when government plays a role in the utilities, getting opportunity goes a lot faster. It goes significantly faster, and that’s really what we do on the industrial and business side with KPDIs (Kentucky Product Development Initiative, which funds build-ready site creation). There’s an opportunity there,” Beshear said.
“There’s also different incentives that we can provide to the developers and again, I’m good with that, as long as we’re not shortchanging the Kentuckians working on that project.”
.JPG)