For Immediate Release
November 21, 1997
Contact: Melissa Forsythe or Mark Pfeiffer at
(502) 564-2611

GOVERNOR URGES EMPLOYERS TO USE SCHOOL RECORDS IN HIRING

Frankfort, Ky. - In a news conference in Lexington today, Governor Paul Patton called on the state’s employers to make a significant contribution to education by agreeing to request the academic records of entry-level job applicants. The program is called "Learning Equals Earning" developed at the request of the governor following last year’s National Education Summit. It’s sponsored by The Partnership for Kentucky Schools and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and was designed in collaboration with the Department of Education and the Workforce Development Cabinet.

Governor Patton said, "This initiative will remind students of the connection between their current academic efforts and their future success in the business world. It will send an important message to both students and parents that Kentucky employers think school work is important."

The news conference was held at the Lexington office of Columbia Gas, the first Kentucky company to sign on to the program. The goal of the initiative is to involve 200 employers or associations by the end of 1998. Employer participants will ask job applicants to demonstrate their achievement in school by providing transcripts, portfolios or other records of their effort, attendance, and accomplishments in school.

"Students who are headed for college have long recognized the value of academic achievement. They understand the importance of good grades, consistent school attendance and extracurricular activities that enhance what they learn in class, Governor Patton said. But we need all of our students to have that understanding, to know that doing well in school is important for their future in the workplace."

For more information about the "Learning Equals Earning" program, contact the Partnership for Kentucky Schools Office at 1-606-233-9849.

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