October is Manufacturing Month and Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKYCTC), part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), is proud to train thousands of Kentuckians for manufacturing jobs.
As a statewide system, KCTCS is the primary provider of manufacturing training in Kentucky. KCTCS collaborates with more than 400 advanced manufacturing partners statewide. The 16 Colleges within the System align their programs with input from local businesses and industries, preparing graduates for high-wage careers in high-demand industry sectors.
The System also collaborates more than 200 business partners statewide who offer work-and-learn experiences through the Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (KY FAME). KY FAME is a partnership of manufacturers whose purpose is to implement apprenticeship-style educational programs that create a pipeline of highly skilled workers. Students in the program attend a KCTCS college two days per week and then work for their sponsoring employer three days per week. Students earn wages while employed at the sponsoring company and potentially graduate debt-free.
SKY FAME and Logan County have many links. Logan Aluminum has sponsored 22 students in the program, which is headquartered at SKYCTC’s Franklin Simpson Center. Emerson Electric sponsored its first representative last year, and several Logan Countians have been associated with out-of-county industries.
“I chose the SKY FAME program because not only did it sound like a great opportunity to get my advanced manufacturing degree in only two years, but I was also able to work throughout the program so that I could gain knowledge and continue to make money while I was in school,” said Brilee Harris, a graduate of the SKY FAME program who is also a graduate of Logan County High School.
“With the scholarships I received, including SKYCTC’s DC to Finish Scholarship and the KHEES money I had accumulated throughout high school, I actually had excess scholarship money and was paid out around $1,000 per semester. This program helped me advance my career immensely because I am now a professional in my field with no college debt. In the future, I plan to advance in my current job to a leadership position and I am also considering going back to school to become an electrical engineer,” added Harris, who works for at Bilstein Cold Rolled Steel in Bowling Green.