Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton will tour the Bluegrass Community & Technical College Advanced Manufacturing Center at the Toyota campus in Georgetown, Wednesday.
Hampton will meet students of the Advanced Manufacturing Technician Program. Weather permitting, there will also be a tour of the construction site of the new Advanced Manufacturing Center in the Lanes Run Business Park, just down the road from Toyota.
Lt. Gov. Hampton
Currently, there are 60 students enrolled at the Georgetown AMT program.
The work/study program allows AMT students to work three days a week in a manufacturing environment with their industry sponsor and spend two days a week in a classroom environment. The program combine components of apprenticeship with hands-on paid work experience.
Similar initiatives, including the apprenticeship program at Mubea North America in Florence, have been initiated to address the need for qualified workers in the advanced manufacturing industry.
Mubea has invested $2 million in the program and recently graduated its first class of nine students.
The biggest to Kentucky’s advanced manufacturing industry is the ability to develop and maintain its workforce. Thousands of advanced manufacturing jobs go unfilled in Kentucky and nationwide each year because of the lack of qualified workers.
As the existing workforce ages and retirement begins to take a toll, the challenge becomes even greater.
The tour will take place at Toyota’s main Georgetown AMT Campus from 9:30-11 a.m., Wednesday. The facility is located at Toyota’s North American Production Support Center, 1001 Cherry Blossom Way in Georgetown.
Bluegrass Community & Technical College offers accredited certificate, diploma and degree opportunities designed to improve employment opportunities and maximize success in education and training.
For more information about the college and its programs, click here .
Bluegrass Community and Technical College and NKyTribune staff
