RETAIN Kentucky, partners to focus on workforce support at annual summit Sept. 30 in Lexington

By Lindsay Travis
University of Kentucky

Kentucky business leaders, civic organizations, educators and other professionals are invited to attend the annual Inclusive Workforce Summit on Sept. 30 in Lexington.

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce will host the summit, presented by RETAIN Kentucky and the Kentucky Career Center.

Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) Kentucky is a federally funded initiative exploring stay-at-work/return-to-work strategies implemented by the University of Kentucky’s Human Development Institute (HDI).

“The summit is an opportunity to bring together people with a variety of perspectives, but all with a common interest of addressing workforce shortages in the Commonwealth,” said Kathy Sheppard-Jones, Ph.D., HDI director and implementation lead for RETAIN Kentucky. “Sharing strategies that can improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities in Kentucky makes this a win-win proposition and a really powerful way to spend a day.”

Together, speakers will focus on strategies for cultivating a workforce that includes all Kentuckians and makes work accessible. The event will focus on five key components to create a workforce that will promote a healthy Kentucky economy:

• Including people with disabilities
• Removing unfair barriers to employment
• Creating equal access to opportunities
• Developing the potential of all students
• Fostering belonging in business cultures

“Workforce participation is significantly lower for people with disabilities. About 38% of Kentuckians with disabilities are employed compared to 78% of Kentuckians without disabilities. This 40% employment rate gap between people with and people without disabilities ranks Kentucky 48th in the nation and behind six of our seven neighboring states,” said Johnny Collett, HDI deputy director and a member of the RETAIN Kentucky leadership team.

Collett will be on a panel discussing ways businesses can expand their network of suppliers to include businesses owned by people from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. The full agenda is available online at www.kychamber.com .

2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champion Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be the luncheon keynote speaker at the event.

As a person who stutters, Kidd-Gilchrist serves as an ambassador to the stuttering community. In 2021, he founded Change & Impact Inc., an initiative with a mission to improve access to healthcare and expand services and resources for those who stutter.

The all-day summit will be held at the Griffin Gate Marriott Golf Resort & Spa. Anyone interested in attending can register online .

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