For years, employers have grumbled that job applicants do not have the right skills, but it’s clear that we have not yet reached a solution.

With an economy humming along better than it has in years, employers still find it hard to fill tens of thousands of jobs in Kentucky because those looking for jobs don’t have the right skills. Employers as well as teachers mention that “soft skills” remain another significant problem.

Workforce participation – the percentage of people employed or actively looking for a job – is a third item that’s particularly tough for Kentucky to solve. The commonwealth, in particular, suffers from the fact that a number of prime-age men are in jail. Further reform of our criminal justice system, for example, is needed to ensure people picked up on a nonviolent drug charge don’t spend years in jail. Kentucky has also been particularly hard hit by the national opioid crisis.

But the good news is that our state’s economy is strong, businesses are growing and officials have realized that changes are needed to fully unlock Kentucky’s economic potential.

Many students, for example, still enter their senior year with the idea that a four-year degree is required for careers they can be proud of. Others graduate from high school still unaware of the critical nature of basic life skills such as looking someone in the eye when speaking or being spoken to and showing up on time for work. Employers are willing to train employees eager to learn. Can employers afford to teach people basic life skills? Certainly not.

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has launched an innovative idea to more closely align the needs of businesses with the skills of young adults looking to enter the workforce – called talent pipeline academies.

And, while parents are the most critical part of teaching so-called soft skills, we believe our school systems have started efforts that shift the needle in the right direction. Franklin County Schools, for example, announced a program in December that sets eight standards for behavior and included a cohort of 60 students in its first group. Those standards include items such as attendance, personal accountability and persistence.

While Kentucky will never truly reach full employment, our community and state must finally prove results on problems they’ve complained about for too long in order to further boost our economy.