Additional Resources Available for Industrial Training Consortium

Contact:

Bob Skipper, WKU Media Relations Director
(270) 745-4295; bob.skipper@wku.edu

Stacey Biggs, WKU DELO Marketing Manager
(270) 745-1926; stacey.biggs@wku.edu

Communications and Public Policy Director Nick Fuhrman

BOWLING GREEN, KY (March 12, 2008) - The Chamber and three local industries began the Warren County Industrial Training Consortium in 2004 in order to meet the training needs of those local industries. The Consortium then grew to 15 participating industries. Now, collaborative efforts by the Consortium, the Chamber and Western Kentucky University will extend the original efforts beyond what was originally planned for the small group.

Two units within the Division of Extended Learning & Outreach (DELO) at WKU-Continuing Education and the Center for Training and Development-will now provide a wide array of online non-credit courses to participating industries within the Consortium. These offerings will complement the already extensive curriculum offered by DELO, which includes credit and non-credit educational opportunities to individuals, organizations, and the public using flexible and accessible formats.

The online format provides added appeal, providing the flexibility needed in today's changing workforce. Courses will be offered on a quarterly basis and will range in scope from accounting principles to customer service to management and supervision.

To provide even more benefit to Consortium members, DELO introduced a user-friendly, customized online registration system during a Consortium meeting on February 29. Using this system, Consortium members can register their employees for online courses selected to meet their training needs.

Because of the collaborative efforts of WKU and the Chamber, Consortium members will be able to access these courses easily and at a very reasonable cost. The Chamber received a Bluegrass State Skills Grant that will fund approximately half of the course costs for Consortium members.

Dan Preston, Vice President of Economic Development for the Chamber, is pleased with the Consortium's collaborative efforts with WKU. "Training programs help companies keep up with the changing workforce environment and eliminate skill gaps. The Consortium's goal is to help companies access the best training programs possible with cost-sharing savings. The Bluegrass State Skills Grant will help us achieve that goal."

For more information about the Industrial Training Consortium, contact Economic Development Coordinator Jennifer Ford at the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce at (270) 781-3200.

About the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce

Incorporated in 1935, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce is the driving force for economic development in South Central Kentucky. As one of only 336 chambers nationwide to be accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the fourth largest chamber in Kentucky, the Chamber serves as a premier business advocate for its more than 1,300 partners. 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.