It's too early to say just how much federal money exactly will be coming to Henderson Community College. But it is safe to say that The Hill will soon benefit from a $2.38 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
"It's a little early to pinpoint the details of the budget for this grant," Pat Lake, president of HCC, said regarding $5.25 million in community based job training grants to the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. "The thrust of the grant is to provide advanced manufacturing training and education in the western region of Kentucky."
Lake added that Hopkinsville Community College, Madisonville Community College, and Murray State University will also benefit from the grant because they are part of a core group of partnering institutions or agencies.
The grant will be used to advance manufacturing in eighteen western Kentucky counties, as well as Montgomery County, through the Industrial Talent Enhancement Model (ITEM), a press release from U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield said.
The model program will bring together community and technical colleges, public school districts, businesses, community centers and local Chambers of Commerce to provide training for current and future manufacturing employees.
The program will create a multi-purpose training center, as well as deploy a mobile training center; implement a mentoring program staffed by manufacturing employees aimed at students in grades 6 through 12; and develop a Web site to market and manage the program.
The goal of the program is to provide manufacturing educators, employers and community leaders with the tools they need to emphasize the importance of training and provide these training opportunities.
With the aid of this grant, enrollment in the training program is expected to increase from 250 to 1,750, the press release said. It is estimated that a total of 1,200 people will enter into employment in the manufacturing sector and 975 program participants will receive promotions or wage gains.
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said the grants also include:
- $1,996,442 for the Owensboro Community and Technical College to recruit and train future workers for the advanced manufacturing industry. This will bring high school students and dislocated workers into a growing industry.
- $866,095 for the Gateway Community and Technical College in northern Kentucky to train current and future nurses for the Northern Kentucky Regional Nursing Expansion Project, which works to combat nurse shortages in the area.
