Home » KY FAME creating Bowling Green chapter

KY FAME creating Bowling Green chapter

Apprentice-style training program creates its seventh chapter

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sep. 9, 2015) — The Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (KY FAME) program is creating a new chapter in Bowling Green, Ky., to serve the surrounding region.

fameKY FAME is a partnership of manufacturers that have teamed up to address the shortage of technically skilled workers needed in advanced manufacturing. The program offers innovative, apprentice-style education and training designed to create one of the most highly skilled workforces in the world.

“Since we first announced plans to take KY FAME statewide back in January, interest in the program has grown exponentially,” Gov. Steve Beshear said during the accouncement. “This is now the seventh chapter in the state and we plan to add others before the end of the year. KY FAME will go a long way toward creating one of the world’s most highly skilled and in-demand workforces right here in Kentucky.”

KY FAME student participants will enroll in the Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) program. Through AMT, students attend classes two days per week at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKYCTC) and work an additional 24 hours per week for a sponsoring employer.

Upon completion of the program, students receive an associate degree in applied sciences, and, with the practical skills gained during their paid work experience, most begin full-time employment with the sponsor. Others may decide to further their technical education to obtain bachelor’s degrees in engineering or business.

Created in 2010, KY FAME currently includes 95 companies statewide. More than 40 students have completed the AMT program and over 200 students are currently enrolled.

KY FAME is part of the Kentucky Skills Network created by Beshear in 2014. Last year, the network provided training assistance to 84,000 Kentuckians and 4,100 companies. KY FAME has grown from one chapter with 13 companies sponsoring 55 students a year ago, to more than 85 companies sponsoring more than 250 students today.

“We are thrilled to have KY FAME present in our area,” said Gregory Head, vice president at Davert North America and president of FAME Southcentral chapter. “Through this partnership between our industry leaders and SKYCTC, Southcentral Kentucky FAME is taking proactive measures to produce a skilled labor pool for the area. We feel confident this is only the beginning of a long and successful partnership.”

More than a dozen local companies from the region are leading the launch for the Southcentral Kentucky chapter:

  • J. M. Smucker Co.
  • Bilstein Cold Rolled Steel
  • Meritor Inc.
  • Franklin Precision Industries
  • Logan Aluminum
  • Delta Faucet
  • Quad Graphics
  • Sumitomo Electrical Wiring Systems
  • Bowling Green Metalforming
  • Champion Pet Foods
  • Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products
  • Davert North America

The leadership of the Southcentral chapter includes:

  • President: Gregory Head, Davert North America
  • Vice President: Todd Ramsey, Quad Graphics
  • Secretary-Treasurer: Kelcie Dixon, SKYCTC

Southcentral Kentucky FAME will sponsor students beginning in the fall of 2016.  To learn more about KY FAME in Southcentral Kentucky, contact Gregory Head at [email protected] or Kelcie Dixon at [email protected].

Other chapters include the Bluegrass Region (Central Kentucky), Greater Louisville, northern Kentucky, Elizabethtown/Lincoln Trail, Greater Owensboro and Cumberlands regions. The goal is to eventually expand the program to all corners of the Commonwealth.

Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at www.ThinkKentucky.com. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion on Facebook or follow on Twitter. Watch the Cabinet’s “This is My Kentucky” video on YouTube.