LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As part of an ambitious economic development plan, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg is looking to keep young people living in the Metro.
"I'm sure we're not where we need to be. I'm sure we're not where we need to be. I know we're not because I've seen it," Jeffrey Hofmann, treasurer for the ACE mentor program, said. "I think we're heading in the right direction. I think we're really making strides to make this city to work."
Hofmann is spending his retirement mentoring young people. He said keeping them in the city is key to Louisville's growth.
"[It's important] to retain the businesses that we have by funneling them educated young people," he said. "And to entice new companies and firms to come into Louisville, because they know we have the talent at workforce to help them grow their business."
In a statement sent to WHAS11 News, Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, president and CEO of Greater Louisville Inc., commended the project, calling it "forward thinking."
“A strong pool of skilled talent is critical to continued economic growth and is a core focus of GLI’s Live in Lou talent attraction program. To continue to bring new jobs to the region, it is crucial that we have the skilled talent to fill them," Davasher-Wisdom said. "The 25 – 54-year-old demographic is a prime working age that can be easily trained and upskilled to meet advancements in many of Greater Louisville’s high-growth fields."
Retaining that young talent is a key peg in Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg's recently announced economic development plan -- a wish list that includes investing $100 million towards the Downtown city streets.
"This plan is focused on opportunity," Greenberg said on Thursday. "Focusing on the challenges while capitalizing on the opportunity." The challenge, in this case, is Louisville lags behind nearly every peer city in terms of its population in a key demo: workers 25 to 39 years old.
The opportunity Greenberg sees is tripling that population by 2035 through ambitious investments.
One investment, Greenberg announced, would be using funds to kickstart a pilot program in Louisville to establish education opportunities before Kindergarten for every three and four-year-old child who needs it in Louisville.
"Education, we have really got to work on our education system here in Jefferson County," Hofmann said.
"I think job opportunities would probably be the biggest thing," Hofmann's mentee Jacob Doctrow, a University of Kentucky freshman student, said.
Doctrow said he'll likely stay in-state after graduating and possibly move to Louisville.
"But then there are others who are like--they've grown up here. They know, at least, most of our area, and they just want something new--which I understand that part too," Doctrow said.
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