Case Study: Kentucky Personnel Cabinet achieves streamlined hiring, on-demand learning and better retention with Cornerstone OnDemand

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Drives Hiring, Development and Retention

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Personnel Cabinet, which supports 31,000 state employees across services from transportation to education, struggled to attract and retain talent amid record-low unemployment and public/private pay gaps. Its HR environment was fragmented—separate recruitment and learning systems with no electronic onboarding, performance management, succession planning or talent analytics—leaving vacancies unfilled and leaders without the data to plan strategically.

Kentucky implemented Cornerstone’s Recruiting and Learning Suites in under six months, consolidating systems and adding onboarding, performance, succession and analytics while rebranding the experience as MyPURPOSE. They launched CommonwealthU (Cornerstone CyberU) with 1,400+ on‑demand courses, engaging 31,000 users and driving 187,000 course completions in year one; recruiting volume rose 114% (21K → 45K), HR processes became automated and data-driven, and the program saved IT budget without extra appropriation—supported by a Talent Engagement Champions program and employee videos that reinforced a culture of learning and retention.

Kentucky Personnel Cabinet

Robbie Perkins

Director of IT