Statewide initiative seeks to streamline workforce services 

When it comes to helping employers build and strengthen their workforce, numerous organizations across the Lincoln Trail region and throughout Kentucky stand ready to assist with a wide range of services and resources. Economic development, workforce development and educational partners all play a key role in supporting employers through customized strategies that help attract and retain talent.

But, what if these organizations could collaborate more intentionally, reducing duplication and improving efficiency? That’s the purpose of the Statewide Workforce and Talent Team (SWATT). 

SWATT brings together statewide partners to improve measurement, coordination and delivery of workforce development solutions and services to Kentucky employers. Its mission is to create a more seamless, business-friendly workforce system by aligning state, education, workforce and economic development partners around employer-driven solutions. 

SWATT isn’t a new program: it’s a new way of working together. For the first time, leaders from multiple state agencies and organizations are aligning efforts and sharing business-service data to create a more coordinated and responsive system for employers.

SWATT combines the resources of both the economic development and education and labor cabinets, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Department of Education, the Council on Postsecondary Education and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. 

The goal is to create a single, unified group responsible for understanding employer needs and making it easier for them to find the specific workers they’re looking for. Notably, to ensure the initiative endures despite changes in state leadership, SWATT leaders have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, guaranteeing its continuity and providing long-term stability for employers.

To engage workforce leaders across the state, SWATT is hosting a series of Roadshow events in all 10 workforce development areas. On Dec. 3, one of these sessions was held at the Lincoln Trail Area Development District office in Elizabethtown, featuring leaders in workforce development, economic development, education and state government. 

The purpose of the event was to capture local input, elevate regional best practices and identify common standards to build a more aligned and effective statewide workforce system. Through guided discussions, attendees were encouraged to identify what’s working and what’s not in employer engagement, map the current process and identify bright spots, breakdowns and opportunities for a unified approach.

Following remarks from Kentucky Chamber President and CEO Ashli Watts, along with Jackie Masterson, interim workforce director for the Lincoln Trail Area Development District and Lance Blanford, Chairman for the Lincoln Trail Workforce Development Board, the session transitioned into a facilitated discussion led by Laurie Mays of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, who is a member of the SWATT Implementation Team.

Discussion topics ranged from how organizations engage area employers around workforce needs to the populations they serve, strategies for managing employer turnover and opportunities for improvement. Participants also discussed persistent barriers such as access to affordable childcare, affordable housing and transportation. 

To put the SWATT model into action and begin addressing these challenges, the team is launching case study pilots throughout Kentucky’s workforce areas. These pilots are designed to test how partners can better align around employer needs, streamline business services and capture lessons that can be scaled statewide. One such pilot is already underway in the Lincoln Trail region, focused on improving employee retention for a large industrial employer. 

Insights gathered from the Roadshow events will be reviewed and analyzed, with findings and next steps discussed during a statewide virtual convening in spring 2026. 

Here in the Lincoln Trail Region, and across the state, there are dedicated professionals who work every day to help improve our area workforce. SWATT seeks to act as the “general contractor” for Kentucky’s workforce, coordinating talent so everyone can contribute to building a system that lasts and benefits all Kentuckians.

Daniel Carney is executive director of the Springfield-Washington County Economic Development Authority and a member of the Lincoln Trail Workforce Development Board.