ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- A big empty lot in Glendale, Kentucky, will soon be a training site for thousands of workers at Hardin County's new battery plant.
In about a year, the site will be home to a 24,000 square foot satellite campus for Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. Its sole purpose is to train the employees that will ultimately work at the BlueOval SK battery plant which is just a few hundred yards away.
"As the plant evolves and changes, the jobs are going to evolve and change," said ECTC President Juston Pate. "Having that training facility on site, I think, shows good vision so the workforce can keep up with the demand and need."
The new facility's $25 million cost was awarded by the Kentucky General Assembly.
Despite the excitement and chatter about the facility, it's been largely unknown who will train at the facility and what types of training will be offered.
"In the early years, this facility will largely be used for onboarding employees," said Pate.
Pate said it will serve new employees, who've already been hired by BlueOval SK, before they walk through the doors at the plant.
However, the facility's purpose will likely change when jobs fill.
"At some point, the onboarding need will ramp down," said Pate. "At that point, we'll retool the facility, take a look at what programming we can offer to help lead to jobs -- not just for BlueOval SK, but there's going to be a lot of ancillary businesses that are coming here to support BlueOval SK."
Programs that focus in mechatronics, robotic automation and PLC logic and controls will all continue being offered inside ECTC classrooms for students. Those programs, Pate said, will likely expand and grow as jobs at BlueOval SK and supporting industries evolve.
The construction is scheduled to conclude next spring.
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