OCTC's GO Females Program Awarded Scholarship Funds

by Bernie Hale

Owensboro, KY (04/06/2020) — The collaboration of local and state industry, workforce, and educational partners led to the design and launch of the GO Females initiative to "skill up" female incumbent workers for advancement in the manufacturing industry, funded in part by a National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program grant (Grant No. 1903117) awarded to Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) in 2018. By engaging non­traditional populations, GO Females addresses the increasing need for skilled technicians and ensures that "no worker is left behind" in career and wage advancement.

OCTC launched the first GO Females cohort in 2019 in partnership with UniFirst. Twenty female incumbent workers from UniFirst Corporation were selected to participate in this first cohort. By stepping forward as the first GO Females employee champion, UniFirst ensures that employees gain personal and career opportunities that were previously unattainable. UniFirst supports the GO Females initiative by paying participants full-time wages and benefits throughout the program and providing them eight hours of paid time off each week to attend classes.

The program participants also utilize Work Ready Kentucky Scholarships (WRKS), available to any Kentucky citizen, who doesn't have a college degree, and isn't obligated to Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA), who administers the funds. THE WRKS covers tuition and is applicable to any high demand sector including Healthcare, Transportation/Logistics, Advanced Manufacturing, Business/IT, and Construction. Last year those funds were available for summer courses; this year all the funds were expended across the Commonwealth and summer funds will not be available.

But thanks to Elizabeth Hack and the Kentucky Education and Workforce Cabinet the GO Females students who were depending on Work Ready Kentucky Scholarships for the summer 2020 semester can now continue their education. The cabinet awarded more than $21,000 in additional scholarship funds recently for GO Females scholarships. These Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds are provided to the GO Female students by the Green River Area Development District.

"We are so grateful for this support from Elizabeth Hack and the Kentucky Education and Workforce Cabinet. Studies show that participating in the program seamlessly ensures a higher completion rate. Particularly in these challenging times these funds will ensure these students continue in the program and reach their goals, creating a more skilled and diverse workforce" added Dr. Scott Williams, OCTC President.

More than half of the GO Females students (63%) depend on Work Ready Kentucky Scholarships to participate in the program. The generous support from the Kentucky Education and Workforce Cabinet is crucial to continue the efforts to advance women and underserved populations in manufacturing.

GO Females provides working adults unprecedented access to education by eliminating financial and accessibility barriers. As a true "work and learn" model, GO Females brings college to the workplace. Classes are held onsite, and lab training equipment is set up at the worksite near UniFirst's actual production equipment. This allows instructors to connect teaching to "real world" application. It also allows the students to learn, practice, and apply skills relevant to what occurs on the job.

Both technical and general education courses are taught onsite. Offering instructional delivery at the worksite minimizes time away from production and maximizes worker participation and skill attainment.

The GO Females cohort completed their first semester with a 3.8 cumulative GPA. Currently, the students are progressing on schedule with the six courses (15 credit hours) they are taking during the spring 2020 semester. With an exceptional retention rate of 95%, only one student withdrew from the GO Females program after the first semester. In August 2020, GO Females will launch a second cohort open to other manufacturing employers.

For more information on GO Females program, or how to participate in the second cohort, please contact sheri.plain@kctcs.edu. For more information on KWRS please visit workreadykentucky.com.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1903117

Funded by the Green River Workforce Development Area with Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act funds.

Equal Education and Employment Opportunities 1/1/2020

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