OCTC programs helping to boost local workforce
Workforce solutions programs within Owensboro Community & Technical College are rapidly growing with an increase in trade employees and business training.
The Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) released its 2022-23 workforce solutions report in October, which shows how each college within the system has been working to increase the workforce around the state.
Employers across the state are beginning to send employees to training within the KCTCS system, increasing the amount of certified workforce within different job fields.
In Owensboro alone, companies invested $299,110 into these trainings during 2022-23 with an enrollment of 19,649 for various workforce solutions programs.
According to the report, the Green River area — served by Henderson, Madisonville and Owensboro — has 6,030 businesses with a 53.6% workforce participation rate and a 4% unemployment rate.
“OCTC served 258 of those 6,030 businesses in 2022-23,” Scott Williams, the Owensboro Community and Technical College president, said. “Most of those businesses are in Daviess, Ohio, Hancock and McLean counties.”
The KCTCS report listed several impact partnerships that colleges across the state have worked to cultivate, with regional partners including Audubon Area Community Services, Daviess County Detention Center, Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation, Green River Area Development District and Owensboro Chamber of Commerce.
“We work with Audubon Area on training its GRITS drivers and the detention center on the re-entry success program,” Williams said. “We also have several apprenticeships through GOEDC, we work closely with chamber members and GRADD provides a lot of our training grants.”
Williams said most of the college’s workforce solutions programs are centered around the manufacturing and healthcare sectors.
“OCTC provides professional training in healthcare, and for manufacturing, we offer a lot of apprenticeships,” he said. “We’ve also started doing a lot more computer-based training like with the GRITS drivers when they have to learn how to be ADA compliant.”
One program the college offers is Industrial Technology Enhanced Credentials (I-TEC), which is relatively new to OCTC, and is an accelerated, competency-based, credit-bearing program for both incumbent and dislocated employees.
“I-TEC is manufacturing training for multiskills in the automation and robotics areas,” Williams said. “They have access to lecture materials online and then go to an open lab for the hands-on portion of the course.”
Williams said I-TEC allows for flexibility for those enrolled in the program.
“People who work swing shifts or aren’t able to visit the lab several times a week can work around their schedule for whatever suits their needs,” he said.
Another program OCTC offers is the TECH-X program, which offers a two-week Summer Bridge Boot Camp that incorporates relevant academic and social topics and is funded by the Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education.
“The program has been very beneficial for the population that wants to be certified for a career rapidly,” Williams said. “Within a manner of eight months, one can earn up to six certifications.”
Williams said since the program launched, over 80% of participants have finished with all certifications and over 85% have been placed in jobs.
The college’s commercial driver’s license (CDL) program has also increased in participation.
“We’re in our second or third year of offering CDL courses,” Williams said. “It’s becoming very popular and we’ve had to start looking at adding courses on the weekend to be able to provide that training to more people.”
The college is continuing to look at more healthcare-related programs as workforce solutions keeps growing, Williams said.
“We’re looking at a program right now for Certified Medication Technicians,” he said. “If someone was working in the healthcare field and wanted to become certified in different areas or their employer wanted them to become certified, this would allow them to obtain those certifications and work around their schedule.”
Williams said the workforce solutions programs have had a “significant” impact on the community and local businesses.
“According to the report, we had more enrollments in our programs than any other college in the state,” he said. “With a community this size, that impact has been significant.”
Increasing interest in trade work has had an impact on those numbers, Williams said.
“Fifteen years ago, about 60% of our students were transfers and would go to a university after attending OCTC,” he said. “Now it’s more 50/50 and has shifted significantly in the last seven to eight years.”
Williams said trade routes offer better-paying jobs.
“They are family-sustaining careers,” he said. “We’re seeing people gravitate not just to trades, but also healthcare and business administration. They’re all good-paying careers.”
Electrical, technology, industrial maintenance, computer information technology, nursing and vet tech are some of the fields Williams has seen growth in at the college.
“Workforce solutions will continue to keep growing,” he said. “We see this trend carrying on over the next few years as employers want to continue investing in their employees and see success.”
By Karah Wilson Messenger-Inquirer