MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Robert Bentley (R-Ala.) laid out new Alabama workforce goals in his latest executive order, which created the 65 by 2025 Initiative. Signed on Friday, Executive Order 29 sets the goal of having 65 percent of the state’s workforce with some sort of degree, high-quality certificate, or credential by 2025.

“My 65 by 2025 initiative brings together education, industry and government agencies to develop a strategic plan that will recognize attainment gaps in various groups,” Bentley told the Alabama News Network. “The end goal is to provide the best training opportunity possible for students to obtain a skilled well-paying job.”

The implementation of the 65 by 2025 initiative will be laid out in a strategic plan created by a subcommittee of the Alabama Workforce Council. According to the order, the strategic plan will identify gaps for low-income and minority workers, identify needs in the state’s economy, and submit annual data reports on their findings to the governor.

Bentley’s order also integrates the state’s higher education system by recommending that each higher education institution adopt a completion goal to help close the skills gap and ensure success of Alabama residents.

Currently, an estimated 37 percent of Alabama’s workforce hold degrees or certificates of value, and Bentley’s plan would necessitate a 28 percent increase over the next eight years.