A historic year for KCTCS means a defining moment for Kentucky’s workforce | Opinion

We’ve all seen the headlines questioning the value of higher education. Families are asking whether a college degree is worth the cost. Employers are searching for talent wherever they can find it. Students of all ages are looking for education and training that fit their real lives.

This is exactly why Kentucky must recognize that there are no single paths to success. Every learner’s journey looks different, and the 16 colleges and more than campuses of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System are meeting people where they are with affordable, flexible, and career-focused education that provides a pathway directly into Kentucky’s workforce.

I was honored to join the KCTCS Board of Regents in 2022 and asked to serve as its chair last June. During that time, we have witnessed some extraordinary momentum, unlike anything in recent memory. In short, 2025 was nothing short of historic for our colleges and Commonwealth.

During the fall of 2024, KCTCS posted its largest enrollment increase in a decade, up 8.4% from the year prior. That surge translated into the highest number of graduates in system history this past May, with 24,263 Kentuckians earning credentials leading to good jobs or serving as a launch pad towards a higher degree with one of our four-year partners. During the fall of 2025, enrollment climbed another 6.2%, significantly outpacing the national average 4% gain among two-year colleges.

These numbers matter because they tell a larger story. Across the country, institutions are bracing for lower enrollment caused by demographic shifts such as declines in population and birth rates. Kentucky, however, is seeing the opposite at KCTCS. Why? Because our colleges offer programs aligned directly with the Commonwealth’s most urgent workforce needs: healthcare, advanced manufacturing, information technology, skilled trades, and other high-demand fields that drive our economy.

At a time when the rising cost of college is often the biggest barrier to opportunity, KCTCS tuition remains half the cost of any other higher education institution in Kentucky. Just over 72% of our graduates leave with zero student loan debt. This means more Kentuckians can start, or restart, their careers on a solid financial footing. That is transformational for families and communities.

KCTCS also remains the state’s only open-access higher education option. Anyone who wants to pursue a credential, enhance their skills, or begin training for a new career is welcome at one of many campuses across the state. In addition to traditional and dual-credit high schoolers, our students include active-duty service members, veterans, parents balancing work, and school, adult learners, first-generation students … a full spectrum of Kentucky. But regardless of how they came to us, when they cross the stage at graduation, we know their success will ripple through generations.

Workforce development is another area where KCTCS is delivering statewide impact. Under the leadership of President Dr. Ryan Quarles, our colleges have strengthened training partnerships with businesses in every region while expanding transfer pathways with nearly all of Kentucky’s four-year universities, with more on the way.

With support from the legislature through TRAINS funding, KCTCS provided customized training for 17,060 employees at 374 companies, saving employers $7.5 million in upskilling costs and generating $3.2 million in industry investment. The result is a stronger, more adaptable workforce ready to fill high-wage, high-demand jobs today.

In total, the KCTCS enterprise impacts one in every 49 jobs in Kentucky. That is a return on investment that benefits every district, every employer, and every community.

Over the past two years, I’ve watched Dr. Quarles and his leadership team sharpen KCTCS’s mission to support both our students and Kentucky’s economy. Stronger partnerships with business and industry, renewed statewide transfer agreements, and collaboration with organizations such as the Kentucky Chamber, the Kentucky League of Cities, and the Kentucky Association of Counties exemplify a system operating with clarity and purpose.

As chair of the KCTCS Board of Regents, I am proud to begin anew in 2026, knowing that our colleges are being recognized nationally for what a community and technical college system can achieve when it runs at full throttle. But we are just getting started.

So as we enter a new year, I encourage you to consider, what can KCTCS do for you, your business, or your community?

Keith Hamilton is chair of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Board of Regents and president/CEO of LB Manufacturing, LLC in Springfield, Kentucky. He resides in Louisville.