Last week, the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) released an updated strategic plan aimed at providing pathways and reducing barriers to educational attainment and workforce participation.
The 2025 Strategic Plan is an update to the department’s original plan released in 2021, which identified and emphasized the importance of two big goals and targets: 60 percent of Missourians with educational attainment beyond high school and 70 percent labor force participation by 2030. The latest data available from 2023 shows that Missouri continues to make progress, reaching 52.2 in educational attainment and 63.1 percent in workforce participation so far.
“We are committed to doing our part to make sure Missourians have the skills, training, and education necessary to compete for good, quality jobs,” said Dr. Bennett Boggs, Commissioner of the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. “This progress is a result of the hard work and dedication of our higher education institutions, the local workforce boards, agency partners, as well as the work of MDHEWD’s staff, guided by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education and in partnership with the State Workforce Development Board. Together, we will continue to improve the talent pipeline that will attract new employers to the Show-Me state.”
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With the help of key partners, MDHEWD was able to make great strides in the last year alone. Accomplishments include:
- Provided more than 64,000 students with over $163 million in state financial aid
- Deployed $38.3 million through MoExcels to fund 19 projects to help with workforce preparation
- Ranked in the top 3 in the U.S. for new and completed apprenticeships
- Served more than 70,000 Missourians with job readiness services through job centers across the state
- Led an adult learner network of 53 organizations that examined and improved policies and practices for working learners and launched an adult learner strategic framework
MDHEWD also released the Missouri High School Graduates Report last week, which highlighted a decline in the percentage of high school graduates taking remedial courses at Missouri’s public colleges and universities.
Earlier this month, the Lumina Foundation introduced its updated national goal for educational attainment, which aligns with Missouri’s approach and emphasis on the labor force. The national benchmark aims to equip 75 percent of adults in the labor force with college degrees or other credentials of value by 2040.
“The department recognizes all training opportunities beyond high school as highly valuable,” added Dr. Boggs. “Apprenticeships and on-the-job training, short-term certificates, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and beyond all contribute to the economic health of the state.”
Over the next year, MDHEWD plans to focus on meeting Missouri’s workforce needs with a qualified talent pipeline, providing the skills and training workers need to succeed at every education level, and offering affordable pathways to help remove any barriers that may prevent individuals from being competitive for quality jobs.
For more information about MDHEWD’s strategic plan and the department’s big goals for Missouri, visit the MDHEWD website.