[View ALL News Press Releases] On Tuesday, March 24, Gov. Steve Beshear and KCTCS President Michael B. McCall announced a Career Transitions Initiative designed to provide workforce training to Kentuckians who have lost their jobs.

The Career Transitions Initiative is a natural continuation of the services already being offered at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. ECTC has been a leader in extending information and opportunities for training to displaced workers since August 2008. ECTC's Community and Economic Development Center (CEDC) has coordinated the College's "Options" Workshops, which empower displaced workers to explore the options they have for education and employment and resources available in the community to help them through their transition.

The area development district and CEDC staff coordinate efforts to provide information and services through Rapid Response sessions and/or Options Workshops. Since August, 1330 individuals from eight major employers and some smaller firms, have attended Options Workshops. Many have taken advantage of free classes including Resume Writing, Interviewing Techniques, and Job Search Via the Web, in addition to free skills classes like Computers for Beginners, Excel, QuickBooks, Keyboarding and Business Writing, to mention just a few. Students often continue their education with credit courses to earn a diploma or degree.

Robbie Lake is an good example of such a student. He was laid off from AGC and attended the Resume Writing and Interviewing Techniques workshops as well as Computers for Beginners and Excel classes in March. Robbie is now enrolled in two bi-term classes and studying to be a Heat Ventilation Air Conditioning Mechanic. "I've never been laid off or had to rely on unemployment until now," he said at the Tuesday news conference. "ECTC was there for me...they had the answers I was looking for. The program I am enrolled in is allowing be to obtain an education in something I've always wanted to do."

With the announcement of the Career Transitions Initiative by KCTCS and Gov. Beshear, ECTC is continuing to refine its plans to serve displaced workers. It is establishing a Career Transitions Office to assist displaced workers through the advising, application, and financial aid processes.

Students who meet criteria set by the Initiative will be eligible to have 50 percent of up to six credit hours of tuition per semester waived until December 31, 2009. Kentucky residents who have become unemployed and have filed for unemployment benefits since October 1, 2008 are eligible for the program. The program also will provide a streamlined admissions process, assistance in filing for state and federal financial aid, and advising and training sessions to maximize the opportunities for student success.

ECTC is hosting two initial sessions to provide information to anyone interested in details about the initiative. The sessions will be held on two Wednesdays, April 1 and April 8, from 1 - 3 p.m. in room 421 of the Regional Postsecondary Education Center on ECTC's Elizabethtown Campus. Advance registration is not required. For information contact Darrin Powell at 270-706-8620.