Owensboro Community and Technical College

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TTMA Named First Recipient of AMTEC Continuing Education Award

by Bernie Hale

Owensboro, KY (10/21/2026) — AMTEC, a national collaborative of educational and industry partners committed to preparing highly skilled industrial maintenance technicians, recently awarded Toyotetsu Mid America (TTMA) with the first annual Award for Excellence in Continuing Education. AMTEC, housed at Owensboro Community and Technical College (OCTC), has developed curriculum and resources utilized by training departments across the nation, including at the local college's Workforce Development department. TTMA worked with John Drane, OCTC director of industry training, and instructor, Steve Southwood, to develop a training program that allows maintenance technicians to be on site for eight days over a two-week time period. The focus was to help employees expand their practical skills in Industrial Motor Controls and Ladder Logic/Programmable Logic Controllers as part of TTMA's Brown Level training.

John Drane shared, "TTMA has offered these trainings for 35 employees over the last year. It is a pleasure to work with a company that has a passion for its employees and a desire to help them excel. The team at TTMA is a wonderful partner, and we are excited to continue this training program."

Drane and Sheri Plain, OCTC Vice Chancellor of Workforce Solutions, were delighted to present the award to TTMA's leadership at the quarterly plant meetings on September 24th, 2026, and celebrate over 570 training hours TTMA has dedicated, to date, for their employees.

Amber Hogan, general manager at TTMA in Owensboro, expressed appreciation on behalf of the company, "We are honored to be the first recipient of the AMTEC Award for Excellence in Continuing Education. This recognition reflects the strong partnership TTMA has built with OCTC and our shared commitment to developing people. Through programs such as AMTEC, GO FAME, ESL, and many other learning opportunities, OCTC has helped our team members build new skills, advance their careers, and create opportunities for growth both personally and professionally. Their support has strengthened our workforce, our culture, and our company as a whole."

OCTC has served the local community and provided workforce training solutions since 1986. AMTEC has been located at OCTC since 2018 and serves not only OCTC students but colleges, schools, and industry partners across the country with training resources for maintenance technician programs.

"AMTEC is proud to support industry partners that invest in recognized credentials, industry-vetted curriculum, and training aligned with workforce needs," said Jason Simon, director of AMTEC. "TTMA's partnership with OCTC demonstrates how employers and educators can work together to create relevant training that strengthens both employees and the manufacturing workforce."

For more information or to learn how your company can benefit from customized workforce training, contact AMTEC or OCTC today at 270-686-4444 or email octc.workforcesolutions@kctcs.edu. Learn more by visiting the OCTC Workforce Solutions website at: https://owensboro.kctcs.edu/workforce-solutions/index.aspx.

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Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.

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The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.

Connect with OCTC: Owensboro.kctcs | Facebook.com/owensboroctc | Twitter@OCTC_Tweets | Instagram OwensboroCTC

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