Lineman Training Introduced at Madisonville Community College
Madisonville Community College (MCC)has introduced a new lineman program. The training is an eight week intensive study of lineman work including climbing power poles, using a bucket truck and safety training among other curriculum. Before MCC started the classes anyone from West Kentucky had to travel to Eastern Kentucky to secure this type of training.
The first graduating class had eleven graduates, three of which students from Muhlenberg County: Auston Camplin, Bronson 
Goff and Brody Sublett. The second class with twelve students has begun and has four Muhlenberg students. Mike Davenport, Director of Workforce Solution at Madisonville Community College said, “the students who graduate the lineman course are almost certainly guaranteed a job. Most of the time they will start with an income of $35,000 to $40,000. In no time at all they could be making $60,000 to $70,000 dollars.”
The three students who graduated in the first class have gone to work for Groves Construction in Madisonville. Since Hurricane Florence has caused so much destruction along the east coast the demand for lineman will likely go up. The lineman training is a great opportunity for any student coming out of high school and has no desire to go to college to secure a good job.
Advanced Manufacturing Training to be Offered at Muhlenberg County High School
Starting in fall 2019, Muhlenberg County High School students will have opportunity to enroll in Advanced Manufacturing classes. With a $298,000 grant from the Felix E. Martin Jr. Foundation, Madisonville Community College will partner with Muhlenberg Count High School to equip a hands-on lab for the program at the west campus of Muhlenberg County High School.
Using a classroom model in which online instruction from faculty at Madisonville Community College will be supplemented with hands-on lab work and skill demonstrations, MCHS students will be able to earn the 8 credit-hour Skilled Operator credential while still in high school. In addition, students will qualify to test for multiple industry-recognized certifications from the National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS).
Principal Donna Bumps explains that, “the credentials earned while at MCHS are directly applicable to the modern advanced manufacturing workplace with classes covering skills such as power development and distribution, hydraulics, pneumatics and mechanical installation.” Credit hours will also give students a head start toward the Advanced Integrated Technology (AIT) associate degree program at Madisonville Community College (MCC). This program integrates various technologies in order to educate students with diverse skills needed in today’s high-tech industrial settings. MCC Vice-President, Dr. Jay Parrent, commented, “Students who have completed the MCHS AIT program after graduation, will qualify for Kentucky’s Work Ready Skills Scholarship which will currently provide full tuition at no cost to students.”
Graduates of the AIT program at MCC are typically placed as multi-skill maintenance technicians who are able to install, maintain, troubleshoot, repair, and inspect diverse state of the art equipment and systems. “The proposed Advanced Integrated Technology training at the high school will fall right in line with what the state is looking for in their targeted sector jobs. The state estimates there will be 846 jobs available in the next five years in Western Kentucky in Advanced Manufacturing. This will include machinists, industrial machine mechanics and team assemblers. Having this program at the high school will be invaluable for economy development. It is another piece of the puzzle that will make Muhlenberg County attractive to industrial prospects,” remarked Muhlenberg Alliance for Progress Director, Gary Jones.
Foundation President, Alyssa Manning, added, “The Foundation is thrilled to be a part of the development of this program which will provide Muhlenberg students with an additional pathway into the century job market. In addition, providing manufacturing training locally will position Muhlenberg County to compete for industries which are currently showing interest in the Western Kentucky region, proving that our local workforce is ready for those opportunities.”
isted of six weeks of learning various business topics such as: 1) Choosing the Right Business, 2) The Business Plan, 3) Creating a Vision for your Company, 4) Marketing and Operations, 5) Financial Plan, and 6) Execution: Making the Plan Work.