(Henderson, KY) – Kyndle FAME recognized students chosen for the 2018 Kyndle FAME program as part of a Signing Day Ceremony on June 5, 2018 held at Henderson Community College. The program is a partnership between the Kyndle FAME sponsor employers, economic development organization Kyndle, and Henderson Community College that make up the Kyndle FAME Chapter of KY FAME (Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education). Current Kyndle FAME sponsors include Audubon Metals, Big Rivers Electric, Gibbs Die Casting, Hydro Aluminum, International Paper, Pioneer Plastics, Shamrock Technologies, and Vibracoustic.
The 2018 Kyndle FAME Cohort has nine students sponsored by six employers. Eight of the students were selected through interviews of the applicant pool while a ninth is an incumbent worker from a sponsor company. The signing day ceremony was similar to a sports signing day event. It is important to recognize that these students have decided to move forward with a training opportunity in Advanced Manufacturing Technician focusing on Industrial Maintenance to further their career path. The ceremony consisted of HCC, the sponsoring company and the student signing a certificate of intent to attend HCC and work at their sponsoring company.
The new cohort and their sponsor companies include (left to right in photo below): Austin Rice (Vibracoustic); Tyler Buckman (Pioneer Plastics); Hunter Nalley (Shamrock Technologies); Seth Coker (Gibbs Die Casting); Owen Hancock (Big Rivers Electric); Logan Erickson (Shamrock Technologies); Zake Walker (Gibbs Die Casting) and Alan Sitzman (Audubon Metals). Not pictured is Jordan Johnson (Gibbs Die Casting).
Companies interested in sponsoring a student still have a pool of interested applicants from which to select a new employee. Contact Whitney Risley, Kyndle Manager of Existing Industry and Workforce Development at whitney@kyndle.us for more information.
Kyndle FAME students are high school graduates (or equivalent) who have been selected by local employers to participate in the program’s 40 hour per week, apprenticeship-style format. The students will attend college two days a week while working three days a week at the sponsoring company.
“The hands-on experience, along with the classroom instruction, is a great benefit for both the student and the employer. Successful graduates will help us compete in a global market,” notes Jeff Jones, General Manager at Vibracoustic, and President of the Kyndle FAME chapter. Dr. Kris Williams, President of Henderson Community College, added, “HCC is proud to partner with regional industry and Kyndle to ensure a strong and knowledgeable workforce.” To learn more about the Kyndle FAME program, visit the website, https://henderson.kctcs.edu/workforce-solutions/kyndle-fame/index.aspx