Campbellsville University Continues to Increase Partnership with Green County Area Technology Center

Team Taylor County – Campbellsville/Taylor County Economic Development Authority

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High school students around the Green County area come together at the Green County Area Technology Center to create various robots and solve technical problems. (CU Photo by Rachel DeCoursey)

CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY (04/17/2014)(readMedia)-- In the mid-1990s when one of the region's largest employers shut down, Campbellsville University was quick to work with the displaced workers in helping them gain new skills through the establishment of the Campbellsville University Technology Training Center.

Over the years, countless adults have received training that has helped them obtain new employment as well as learn new skills. Now, CU is continuing her involvement with vocational technology education with a partnership with the Green County Area Technology Center.

The Green County Area Technology Center (GCATC) serves students at Campbellsville High School, Green County High School and Taylor County High School at their location in Greensburg, Ky. In previous school years, many students were hesitant to enroll in the classes offered at GCATC due to the time difference between Campbellsville, which is on Eastern Time, and Greensburg, which is on Central Time, as well as the 20-minute bus ride to and from the GCATC, which caused conflicts with the existing class schedules at the schools.

During the summer of 2013, Ron McMahan, executive director of Team Taylor County, met with Carol Sullivan, director of Campbellsville University's Virginia Ponser Flanagan Technology Training Center, and Dr. John Chowning, vice president for church and external relations and executive assistant to the president of Campbellsville University, to see if CU would be able to help the GCATC increase the number of Campbellsville High School and Taylor County High School students who are attending classes by allowing a class to meet at CU. CU offered space in the Technology Training Center II and the available classes quickly filled up with a waiting list established.

Due to the overwhelming interest in the classes offered by the GCATC, CU began to remodel a building that had previously been purchased to become the satellite location's permanent home. Work continued throughout the fall semester and classes moved into the new location on Jan. 3, 2014.

"The new building given by Campbellsville University for us to use as a satellite location has been a huge step forward for us," Linda Floyd, principal of the GCATC, said. "We are always looking for ways to increase our enrollment, and this has been a great way for us to reach the students of Campbellsville and Taylor County."

"One of the big initiatives in the school districts right now is to ensure that students are both college ready and career ready," McMahan said. "By working with the GCATC and CU, we are able to ensure that more students who leave CHS and TCHS have skills that make them employable to the local businesses and industries."

Many of the community's employers have noticed the benefits of students who have been taught at GCATC. Murakami Manufacturing USA Inc. is one local industry that has directly benefited from the renewed partnership. As part of a pilot program called TRACK, Murakami worked with the teachers at the GCATC to set up a curriculum that will allow students to learn skills that will make them prospective employees once they graduate. Three other local employers are also developing curriculum requirements that will be offered during the 2014/2015 school year.

"We have seen tremendous growth this year," Floyd said. "We hope to be able to continue to reach more students in the three districts we serve so our area has students who are skilled laborers who are able to transition into working with local businesses and industries."