News

ARTICLE
Date ArticleType
7/3/2012 Community/Chamber
South Central Kentucky Regional Development Authority Receives $65,000 Grant

South Central Kentucky Regional Development Authority Receives $65,000 Grant

KWIB Grant Will Fund Industry Partnership Initiative


Contact:
Jessica M.L. Thompson, MTPC, IOM
Marketing & Communications Director
270-799-9113; jessica@bgchamber.com

BOWLING GREEN, KY-The Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (KWIB) has awarded a $65,000 Industry Partnership Grant to the South Central Kentucky Regional Development Authority (RDA), which will use the funds to implement the Advanced Manufacturing Industry Partnership of Warren County. The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce oversees the RDA.

The KWIB developed the grants to fund to partnerships that encourage employers to build a talent pipeline to support Kentucky's five targeted business sectors
  • Automobile and aircraft manufacturing
  • Transportation, distribution and logistics
  • Business services and research and development
  • Healthcare/social assistance
  • Energy creation/transmission
"The long-term goal of industry partnerships is to create an infrastructure that will provide employer-led training and education that enhances the skills of incumbent workers and develop career pathways for the emerging workforce," said Beth Brinly, commissioner of the Department of Workforce Investment in the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.

The RDA is one of eight organizations in the Commonwealth to receive this grant funding, and it received the maximum dollar amount available. As the lead organization for the Advanced Manufacturing Industry Partnership of Warren County, the RDA will collaborate with public and private organizations and targeted businesses to enhance talent development, helping local advanced manufacturers attract, recruit, train, retain and advance qualified workers.

"Our Industry Partnership will significantly impact our local advanced manufacturing sector," said RDA Chairman Michael Buchanon, judge executive of Warren County. "Our work will help increase the local labor pool, which will in turn help the businesses expand and help us to attract new business to the region."

The staff at the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce and an advisory board will support the RDA's work. The Chamber's relationships with local targeted businesses and educational institutions will be integral to the success of the Partnership, which will include the following:
  • Identifying employers' common needs
  • Developing and supporting a strategy based on primary data and information
  • Conducting a comprehensive needs assessment of needed skill sets for the sector
  • Assisting educational institutions and organizations in offering training to meet these skill sets
  • Educating workers about the core skills needed for entry-level jobs in the advanced manufacturing sector
"The Chamber supports our local targeted businesses in multiple ways, and our work with the RDA on this Industry Partnership initiative furthers our efforts. We are eager to collaborate with public and private organizations to successfully implement the Partnership," said D. Gaines Penn, chairman of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce.

With its implementation, the Partnership will successfully provide value-added benefits to local advanced manufacturers and build those manufacturers' talent base. Results of the Partnership include
  • A unified preferred worker standard with high school diploma/GED, soft skills and basic entry-level manufacturing skills criteria
  • Strategic assistance to workers by partnering with local education partners, the local WIB and OET to provide training to low wage earners to advance into better paying jobs and career
  • An increased awareness and implementation of the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) as a work ready credential and skill assessment tool by hosting meetings and informational sessions
The partnership will also work toward continued state financial support for NCRC for LWIB's and OET/Adult Education programs.

The Chamber has already recruited 12 local targeted businesses to the Partnership, and more will join as the Partnership progresses. The current partner businesses are
  • AEP Industries
  • Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake, LLC
  • Berry Plastics Corporation
  • Cannon Automotive Solutions
  • General Motors Bowling Green Assembly Plant
  • Holley Performance Products, Inc.
  • KIRIU USA Corporation
  • Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products, LLC
  • LORD Corporation
  • Magna - Bowling Green Metalforming
  • Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems
  • Topura America Fastener
In addition to these businesses, the RDA and the Chamber, multiple other organizations will support the Partnership: the Southern Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management (SKySHRM); the Training Consortium of South Central Kentucky; Bowling Green Technical College; Western Kentucky University; the Adult Education Program; the local Workforce Investment Board; and the local Office of Employment and Training.

Chamber President & CEO Ron Bunch, CEcD said, "We thank all parties involved in this Partnership for their significant commitment to the advancement of our local targeted businesses. Talent development is integral to the successful expansion, retention and attraction of such businesses, which generate new dollars for our community and increase the wealth of our residents. We enjoy strong relationships with these businesses, private organizations and the public sector, which help us to grow our economic development efforts, and we're very appreciative of their support."

About the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce:

Incorporated in 1935, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce is a 5-Star Accredited Chamber by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was named the 2009 Chamber of the Year by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives. As the fourth largest chamber in Kentucky, the Chamber serves as a premier business advocate for its more than 1,300 partners and is the driving force for economic development in South Central Kentucky. Its primary goals are to promote growth and success in the business community, reaching its small business partners and those in large industries alike. With leadership programs, governmental relations projects, educational initiatives and involvement opportunities, the Chamber aims to support the community and its neighbors in order to enhance the business climate and continue to grow the region.

Visit www.bgchamber.com to learn more about the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce.