Gov. Andy Beshear joined business and community leaders Wednesday to cut the ribbon on a center that will train Kentuckians for new jobs at the BlueOval SK Battery Park, which is creating 5,000 new jobs.
The park is located at Glendale, just off Interstate 65 in Hardin County, and contains the two largest battery plants in the world.
BlueOval SK has reportedly already hired more than 700 employees in Kentucky at all experience levels, and the 42,000-square-foot ECTC BlueOval SK Training Center will start classes for the new employees in June. Officials from Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC), BlueOval SK, SK On, Ford Motor Co. and Trace Creek Construction, as well as state legislators and ECTC students, joined the Governor to cut the ribbon.
“Thanks to great Team Kentucky partners like Ford and SK On, we’re the electric vehicle battery capital of the United States, and I want to thank them for betting on Kentucky and our world-class workforce,” Gov. Beshear said. “I also want to thank ECTC and Trace Creek Construction for getting this center ready ahead of schedule. It is an exciting time to be a Kentuckian – this summer we’re going to start preparing folks for new jobs at BlueOval SK – a park that is going to benefit Kentucky families for generations to come.”
The primary curriculum for the training facility will support battery knowledge, roles and skills. BlueOval SK will train employees in SK On’s proprietary technical, quality and manufacturing processes in the ECTC BlueOval SK Training Center’s virtual reality labs, industrial maintenance lab, work simulation lab and ergonomics techniques classrooms.
“The new ECTC BlueOval SK Training Center provides another opportunity for Kentuckians to begin working toward a rewarding, life-long career,” said BlueOval SK CEO Michael Adams. “Students here will be able to take the first step in learning to build the batteries of the future.”
ECTC president and CEO Juston Pate said, “In a few short weeks, the ECTC BlueOval SK Training Center will open to trainees who are ready to begin innovative, high-quality careers. We are proud to play a vital role in preparing employees for these careers and ensuring the success of BlueOval SK’s historic investment in Hardin County and Kentucky.”
(Photo: Gov. Andy Beshear and officials from the battery park in Glendale cut the ribbon on a training center. More than 5,000 new jobs are coming to the area because of the park)
By Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
