Prestonsburg
City’s Utilities Commission Creates New Apprenticeship Program
Prestonsburg,
Ky. (February 13, 2018) – Labor Cabinet
Deputy Secretary Mike Nemes joined officials from Prestonsburg City’s Utilities Commission and Big Sandy Community and Technical College in Prestonsburg to
announce the creation of a new apprenticeship program.
This
three-year Registered Apprenticeship specializes in the occupations of Water
Treatment Plant and Wastewater Treatment Operators. Apprentices will receive
2,000 on-the-job and 144 classroom training hours per year and will earn a
nationally recognized journeyman certificate upon completion of the program.
“The
Labor Cabinet is thrilled to register this innovative apprenticeship program
today, and it’s encouraging to see the city of Prestonsburg take this step in
order to strengthen its utilities for generations to come,” said Labor Cabinet
Secretary Derrick Ramsey. “My hope is that more cities throughout the
Commonwealth will emulate the unique partnership that exists between
Prestonsburg and Big Sandy CTC in order to tackle today’s important workforce
challenges.”
Since
1956, Prestonsburg City’s Utilities Commission has extended, improved, and
maintained the waterworks, sewer system, and natural gas distribution
operations for the city of Prestonsburg. The Commission is a regional provider
of utility services with approximately 9,000 retail water customers, nearly 3,000
retail wastewater customers, and approximately 1,100 gas customers.
“The
current workforce of certified operators is an aging one that will most likely
face critical shortages of certified operators in the future,” said
Prestonsburg City’s Utilities Commission Superintendent and CEO Turner E.
Campbell. “This is why today’s announcement is so important for us. This
program will shorten the time it takes to become a certified water or
wastewater treatment operator while giving utility entities an opportunity to
replace retiring operators more quickly. Today’s announcement is a win for the
citizens of Prestonsburg and the long-term outlook of our workforce, and we
look forward to being a true partner in this program with Big Sandy Community
and Technical College.”
“Big
Sandy Community & Technical College is proud to enter into an agreement
with Prestonsburg Utilities for an apprenticeship program related to water
plant training,” said Big Sandy CTC President and CEO Sherry Zylka. “We are
working together to develop the skills needed to create a pipeline of new
workers in the future. It’s a win-win situation.”
The
‘Kentucky Trained. Kentucky Built.’ initiative signals Kentucky’s recommitment
of new energy and resources toward strengthening apprenticeships across
Kentucky. Since November of last year, over 1,000 new apprentices statewide
have been registered, bringing the total number of registered apprentices to
3,088 in 206 programs throughout Kentucky.
State
Sen. Johnny Turner (Prestonsburg) and State Rep. Larry Brown (Prestonsburg) also
offered praise.
“This
apprenticeship program is a positive step toward providing another tool to
prepare and strengthen the workforce,” said Sen. Turner. “I look forward to the
implementation of this inventive partnership and its success.”
“This
partnership is exactly what Prestonsburg and the Floyd County area need,” said
Rep. Brown. “This vital partnership will give future Kentucky workers an
advantage in the job market as they will be equipped with prior work experience
to go along with their college education.”
For
more information on Registered Apprenticeships, visit www.KentuckyApprenticeship.com.
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the Kentucky Labor Cabinet on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates.
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