BCTC 

News release

LEXINGTON — Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Sec. Hal Heiner has announced details about the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship (WRKS), which will help thousands of Kentuckians become more marketable in the workplace. The scholarship provides free tuition for programs in five fields that are considered high-wage, high-demand in Kentucky. Those fields are health care, advanced manufacturing, transportation/logistics, business services/information technology and construction/trades.

Anyone who has not yet earned a college degree of any type is eligible for the free tuition for a certificate or diploma in one of the five fields. There are no income or age limits to qualify. The only educational requirement to apply is a high school diploma or GED. KCTCS students in the Accelerating Opportunity Kentucky (AOKY) program also are eligible. AOKY allows students to earn a GED while also taking college courses.

Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) offers numerous high-wage, high demand, and flexible programs in the fields eligible for the WRKS. One example is the Advanced Manufacturing Technician program at the BCTC Georgetown-Scott County Campus, which trains students in a “work and learn” environment in conjunction with industry partners in various fields including industrial maintenance, electronics, robotics, machining and welding. Another example is a new Pharmacy Technology program that offers some lecture-based classes in an alternate format to ease scheduling issues for students.

“BCTC Is ready to help people across the region take advantage of this scholarship to gain the skills to get a great job. From healthcare to manufacturing to automotive or construction trades, we have a program for you,” said Dr. Augusta Julian, president of BCTC. “This is a great opportunity for people who want to get skills to go to work quickly, then perhaps come back to finish a degree.”

Information about all programs eligible for the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship can be found at workreadykentucky.com. The scholarship will be administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) and students must file a Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA) before applying for the WRKS. The FAFSA form is available at www.fafsa.gov and the WRKS application can be found at www.kheaa.com.

Call BCTC’s Laura Lynch, Assistant Dean of Workforce Solutions, at (859) 246-6583 or email laura.lynch@kctcs.edu for more information on how to get started today.