New facility on JCTC campus designed to help grow industry workforce.

A state-of-the-art learning facility in Louisville will soon begin rapidly preparing students for high-demand manufacturing careers.

The Advanced Manufacturing & Information Technology (AMIT) Center, a 53,000 square foot space on the downtown campus of Jefferson Community & Technical College, officially opened on August 4 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony with leaders from across the state, city, and business community.

The estimated $25 million project broke ground in December 2017 and was funded through state and local dollars as well as matching support from industry partners, including GE Appliances.

"To see this day finally arrive is exciting for all the residents and employers in Greater Louisville," said Tom Quick, Vice President of Human Resources at GE Appliances, who attended the event. "The AMIT Center will support students with the latest in manufacturing and information technology equipment and instruction in our community. To see it from drawing board to reality is awesome."

The AMIT Center will provide a learning space for several technical programs including Industrial Maintenance, Computer Information Technology, Computer Manufacturing, and Applied Process Technology. More than 3,000 students are expected to benefit annually, gaining the hands-on experience and skills needed to help fill a critical skills gap in the manufacturing workforce pipeline.

According to The Manufacturing Institute, 4.6 million manufacturing jobs will likely be needed over the next decade and 2.4 million are expected to go unfilled as a result of the gap.

"This new AMIT Center will offer programs to prepare students for a high-demand career in a matter of weeks or months, not years," said Jay Box, President of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

Students will begin classes this month in a hybrid format, attending lectures virtually but also working safely on-site to learn the hands-on instruction necessary to be successful in trades such as manufacturing and IT. The center further builds on the collective efforts between government and industry to strengthen workforce development and education needed for these high-skilled, in-demand careers.

GE Appliances already has a longstanding relationship with Jefferson Community & Technical College. The school serves as GEA's educational partner for KY Federation of Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME), a state program that provides dual track, apprenticeship-style training to strengthen the talent pipeline and help manufacturers stay competitive.

Quick said the opening of the AMIT Center will only help local companies create additional partnerships in both manufacturing and information technology.

"The Greater Louisville community has another gem in town to grow the future employees of tomorrow and ensure we grow the employment base locally," he said.

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