Career Services in Kentucky
From Placement to Partnership: Building Employer Relationships that Power Kentucky’s Workforce
Thursday, July 23, 2026 - KCTCS System Office, Versailles
Save the date for the 3rd Annual Summer Career Services Convening, a dynamic, statewide gathering designed for Kentucky’s leaders in higher education, workforce development, and industry. This year’s convening will continue prior year conversations as we spotlight how career services is evolving to better support today’s graduates - while proactively responding to the rapidly changing needs of tomorrow’s workforce. Attendees can expect a collaborative and forward-thinking experience as well as meaningful networking with peers.
Draft Agenda
- 8 -9 a.m. - Registration and Networking Continental Breakfast
- 9 -9:30 a.m. - Welcome and Opening Remarks, Mary Jackson (CPE), Aaron Thompson (CPE)
- 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. - Keynote: Beyond Job Placement: Why Employer Relationships Matter More Than Ever. Heather Yocum, JCTCS
- 10:15 - 10:45 a.m. - Session: Where the Jobs Are: Aligning Career Services with Kentucky’s Key Industries, Mary Jackson, CPE
- 10:45 - 11 a.m. Break
- 10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Panel: From Recruiter to Partner: Building Meaningful Employer Relationships
- 11:45 - 1 p.m. - Lunch
- 1 - 2 p.m. - Session: Leveraging Employer Partnerships for Long-Term Institutional Impact
- 2:30 - 3:15 p.m. - Kentucky Companies Doing Interesting Things: Highlighting the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers’ (KAM)
- 3:15 - 3:30 p.m. - Closing Remarks, Leslie Sizemore, CPE
Featured Speaker
Heather Yocum, Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC)
Heather Yocum, currently campus director and associate professor at JCTC's Carrollton Campus, is deeply committed to building strong partnerships between education and industry. Her work includes shaping Future 42, an experiential learning and career pathway program for students interested in applied process technologies, engineering and electronics technology, and welding. To support this initiative, she also helped create and coordinate the Future 42 Mentor Program, which serves more than 70 students across five counties.
Questions
If you have questions regarding this event, contact heather.faesy@ky.gov.
Last Updated: 4/30/2026