Gateway celebrates students signing with regional employers during recent ‘Going Pro Day’ ceremony

Gateway Community and Technical College recently celebrated the achievements of eleven students during its “Going Pro Day” ceremony – an event where students formally signed letters of employment with top regional employers

The event symbolized their transition from college students to professionals launching full-time careers in some of Northern Kentucky’s most high-demand industries.

“Going Pro Day is our way of honoring the next generation of workforce leaders,” said Gateway President Dr. Fernando Figueroa. “We’re truly grateful to the leading businesses that partner with us to upskill and train future generations of workforce leaders. Our region has a number of highly sought after job openings, and this initiative will help our graduates be the ones to fill them.”

“As Northern Kentucky’s economy continues to grow, this initiative will be instrumental in bridging the gap between students’ potential and the reality of a great career at an exceptional company,” Figueroa said.

Partnering companies offering employment opportunities to Gateway graduates at the ceremony included:

Each student participating in Going Pro Day signed a ceremonial letter of employment – a proud counterpart to the athletic signing days often seen at the high school level. Instead of signing up to play for a university team, these Gateway graduates are signing up to start building their professional futures.

“Going Pro” is sponsored by the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) and the Kentucky Department of Education. It is part of a statewide initiative to highlight the vital role technical education plays in meeting Kentucky’s workforce needs.

In the 2023-24 academic year, nearly 95% of all credentials awarded across KCTCS were in programs aligned with the state’s top five targeted industry sectors — advanced manufacturing, business/IT, construction/skilled trades, healthcare, and transportation/logistics — or designed to transfer to a four-year university.

Gateway’s Going Pro Day exemplifies how two-year college programs offer a direct pipeline into the region’s strongest industries – ensuring students don’t just graduate with a degree, but with a career.

For more information, visit goingpro.kctcs.edu.

Gateway Community and Technical College