Gov. Steve Beshear and Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) President Michael B. McCall announced today a KCTCS Career Transitions initiative designed to provide Kentuckians who have lost their jobs with workforce training in high-growth, high-wage fields.
“The KCTCS Career Transitions program is a key ingredient in our efforts to transform the state’s economy during these challenging economic times,” said Gov. Beshear. “Kentucky’s two-year colleges are perfectly positioned to provide the workers with the skills and training they need to succeed in today’s marketplace.”
The KCTCS year-long initiative is being offered through its statewide system of 16 colleges and features a 50 percent tuition scholarship for up to six credit hours per term (spring, summer and fall) in open enrollment courses along with personalized assistance in navigating the college admissions process. Each KCTCS college will provide displaced Kentucky workers with a coordinator to acclimate them to the campus and its resources. The colleges will also provide: a streamlined admissions process; assistance in filing for state and federal financial aid; and advising and training sessions that maximize the students’ opportunity for success and re-employment. Kentucky residents who have become unemployed and have filed for unemployment benefits since Oct. 1, 2008 are eligible for the program.
“The KCTCS Career Transitions program is part of a workforce competitiveness initiative we have launched to enhance Kentucky’s capacity to meet current and future job needs,” said Dr. McCall. “As the primary provider of workforce training and education in Kentucky, we are working to ensure that our programs and services align with both current and future needs of business and industry.”
Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate for January 2009 climbed to a 22-year high of 8.7 percent from December 2008’s revised 7.6 percent, according to the Office of Employment and Training (OET), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. The January rate was the highest in Kentucky since the 8.9 percent jobless rate recorded in March 1987.
“I’ve never been laid off or had to rely on unemployment until now,” said Robert Lake a non-traditional student at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC). “ECTC was there for me…they had the answers I was looking for. The program I am enrolled in is allowing me to obtain an education in something I’ve always wanted to do.”
All KCTCS colleges are working with local Workforce Investment Boards and other agencies to inform dislocated workers of the education resources that are available and to coordinate their efforts. Additionally each college has developed specific workforce training programs to meet the specific needs of their local community.
For more information contact a KCTCS College Career Transition Coordinator:
Ashland Community and Technical College
Nancy Menshouse
606- 326-2199
nancy.menshouse@kctcs.edu
Big Sandy Community and Technical College
Susan Chafin
606-886-3863
susan.chafin@kctcs.edu
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Mark Manual
859-276-6673
mark.manuel@kctcs.edu
Bowling Green Technical College
Jamie Parke
270- 901-1007
jamie.parke@kctcs.edu
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Darrin Powell
270-706-8620
darrin.powell@kctcs.edu
Gateway Community and Technical College
Mr. Andre Washington
859-442-4176
andre.washington@kctcs.edu
Hazard Community and Technical College
Doug Fraley
606-487-3086
doug.fraley@kctcs.edu
Henderson Community College
Pamala Wilson
270-831-9649
pamala.wilson@kctcs.edu
Hopkinsville Community College
Dr. Randall Wilson
270-707-3741
randy.wilson@kctcs.edu
J
efferson Community and Technical College
Fran White
502-213-2208
fran.white@kctcs.edu
Madisonville Community College
Cathy Vaughan
270-824-1705
cathy.vaughan@kctcs.edu
Maysville Community and Technical College
Barbara Campbell
606-759-7141
barbara.campbell@kctcs.edu
Owensboro Community and Technical College
Bernice Ayer
270-686-4518
bernice.ayer@kctcs.edu
Somerset Community College
Deborah Gaines
606-451-6818
deborah.gaines@kctcs.edu
Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College
Henry Hughes – Cumberland Campus
606-589-3193
henry.hughes@kctcs.edu
Roland Cornett – Cumberland Campus
606-589-3021
rcirbett0002@kctcs.edu
West Kentucky Community and Technical College
Debbie Smith
(270) 534-3479
deborah.smith@kctcs.edu
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For most Kentuckians, higher education begins at KCTCS. Our statewide system of 16 colleges and 67 campuses provides citizens throughout the Commonwealth with a quality education that is both accessible and affordable. For more information, visit www.kctcs.edu.