With a new $175,000 industrial simulator on its way to Kentucky in the coming months, the Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College is now looking for prospective college students to solve the real-world shop floor problems it will present them. A recruitment fair later this month in Simpson County will help with finding those students.

The Southcentral Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education, or SKY FAME, chapter is holding a recruitment event at 6 p.m. Feb. 23 at the SKYCTC Franklin-Simpson Center, 175 Davis Drive, Franklin.

The students will eventually work on the AMTEC Advanced Manufacturing System Simulator for SKYCTC’s AMT program. After five semesters, students will have earned an associate’s degree in Applied Science in Industrial Maintenance Technology-Advanced Manufacturing Technician Track and over 1,800 hours of on-the-job work experience. SKY FAME is looking to recruit through selective admission, a cohort of 30 students for the fall. 

James McCaslin, SKYCTC vice president of outreach and community development, said Thursday in an e-mail that the financial arrangements vary.

“With respect to tuition, it varies from company to company. Some employers pay the tuition, some employers expect the student to pay the tuition, and some students qualify for Individual Training Accounts through the South Central Workforce Development Board,” McCaslin said. 

“In all cases, the goal is for students to graduate from SKYCTC debt free,” McCaslin said. 

“With respect to wages, all employers agree to pay at least $12 per hour for at least 24 hours per week. Some employers go above that or pay the students 40 hours per week, considering their school time as work time,” he explained.

Just like highly sought student athletes, the students get to weigh various offers. 

“Students who qualify for the program have the opportunity to interview with multiple SKY FAME partners. Just as with any job search, employers make the offers. If a student receives multiple offers, they can accept the offer that appeals most to them,” McCaslin said. 

Mark Brooks, SKYCTC spokesman, said on Thursday that the educational opportunity offers programs in line with what is needed in the region right now.

“There is a need for jobs in the technical field,” Brooks said.

The AMTEC simulator introduces students to the fundamentals of real-world integrated systems all on one machine. The systems include safety, robotics, pneumatics, hydraulics, lubrication, introductory faults and troubleshooting. The professor creates a problem within the device and the students have to troubleshoot to find the problem and solve it. The college used $175,000 from Kentucky Work Ready Skills funding to purchase the new machine which has not arrived on site yet.

Brooks said the AMT program is a win-win for both the students and local business.

“They get the training from us and also work in the industry and receive hands-on experience,” Brooks said.

The college has retained all 23 students who are in the first SKY FAME class in Franklin and already 27 students have signed up for the second class that starts this fall, said McCaslin.

The SKY FAME approach is a combination of classwork at the Franklin Center and real-world shop floor experience. The shop floor experience is a minimum of 24 hours a week.

Students participating in the AMT program at SKYCTC work Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at a sponsoring manufacturing company for 95 weeks. The student also work in classroom instruction on Tuesdays and Thursdays toward degrees in applied sciences.

The students work, earn competitive wages, and learn about safety culture, workplace organization, lean manufacturing, problem solving, machine maintenance and reliability skills. The AMT program can serve up to 60 students annually.

“The SKY FAME chapter is a partnership of regional manufacturers whose purpose is to implement dual-track, apprenticeship-style training that will create a pipeline of highly skilled workers,” Kelcie Richart, SKY FAME success coach, said in a news release Thursday.

“With SKY FAME, students can dive into a challenging Advanced Manufacturing career while simultaneously earning a college degree, and the potential to graduate with zero student debt,” Richart said Thursday in an email to the Daily News.

— For more information on the SKY FAME program, please contact Kelcie Richart at 270-901-1035 or via email at Kelcie.richart@kctcs.edu. SKY FAME information can also be found on Facebook at Facebook.com/SKYFAME.AMT.

— Follow business reporter Charles A. Mason on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.