Building Skills, Strengthening Businesses and Creating Opportunity for 40 Years

October is Manufacturing Month. This is a time to recognize our manufacturers, skilled workers, and the innovative technologies that keep our region moving forward. At Owensboro Community and Technical College, it is also a time to celebrate the partnerships that connect education, workforce development, and economic growth.
 
This year is especially meaningful as OCTC celebrates its 40th anniversary. Since 1986, the college has served more than 94,000 individuals, helping people gain the skills, credentials, and opportunities to build rewarding careers and brighter futures.
 
OCTC’s Workforce Solutions team is proud to be part of that legacy.
 
Across OCTC, we work together to create education, training, and pathways to college credentials and rewarding careers. This collaboration helps students gain the skills they need for higher-wage jobs while helping businesses build a stronger workforce and supporting the growth of our region.
 
Manufacturing has always been an important part of our work. In Workforce Solutions, our industry training team, led by Katie Vincent, John Drane, Sonya Southard, Steve Southwood, and Tom Payne, works closely with manufacturing employers to understand their workforce needs and provide solutions. Through customized training, assessments, Work and Learn opportunities, apprenticeships, leadership development, and other resources, we help employers invest in their people and prepare for what comes next.
 
And what comes next is changing quickly.
 
Through OCTC’s innovation efforts, we are helping employers and employees prepare for emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Our approach is practical and people-focused. Technology has the greatest impact when people know how to use it to solve problems, improve processes, increase productivity, and make their work better.
 
Preparing our future workforce also means helping young people see what is possible. On October 28, OCTC will join employers and education partners at Junior Achievement’s JobSpark, where approximately 1,600 area students will explore careers through hands-on experiences. Events like JobSpark give students a chance to discover careers they may never have considered and to see that meaningful, exciting opportunities are available right here in our region.
 
For 40 years, OCTC has connected people with opportunity. As we celebrate Manufacturing Month and OCTC’s anniversary, Workforce Solutions is looking ahead with that same commitment. By listening to employers, responding to changing workforce needs, embracing innovation, and creating opportunities for our students and employers, we can continue to strengthen our college and our community.
 
Workforce development is about more than filling jobs. It is about investing in people, helping businesses succeed, and working together to build a stronger future for our region for the next 40 years and beyond!

Sheri Plain is the Vice Chancellor of the Workforce Solutions department at OCTC. Sheri has been at OCTC in various roles since 1989. Sheri and her husband Scott reside in Owensboro but enjoy traveling and visiting Lake Barkley with their dog Henry.