To download a photo and sound bite from the news conference, visit this web site:
http://www.kctcs.edu/workforcenetwork/actpress4152002.htm

KCTCS announces opening of ACT Centers

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 15, 2002) - The Kentucky Community and Technical College System today announced the establishment of ACT Centers at five locations to provide state-of-the-art testing and training programs for businesses, individuals and organizations.

KCTCS Chancellor Keith W. Bird and ACT Inc. President Richard L. Ferguson celebrated the grand opening of ACT Centers at Central Kentucky Technical College (Lexington), Jefferson Community College (Louisville), Bowling Green Technical College, and Northern Kentucky Technical College (Highland Heights). A fifth, virtual center is housed at the System Office in Lexington.

The ACT Centers will provide a vast library of training programs and testing services using computers, the Internet and other technologies aimed at developing the skills of the workforce in a convenient and cost-effective manner.
"A skilled workforce is crucial in a prosperous economy," Bird said during a news conference this morning at the KCTCS System Office in Lexington. "Our ACT Centers will provide a resource for area employees and employers to benefit from the latest training programs and methods.
"Local residents can use the ACT Centers to boost their skills and qualify for better jobs. Employers can use the assessment and training programs to hire and develop employees -- raising productivity, morale and profits."
The ACT Centers are consistent with the KCTCS mission to provide education and training to support economic development, Bird said.
The ACT Centers, developed in conjunction with ACT Inc., are part of a nationwide network of centers, located primarily at community and technical colleges.
"Kentucky was the first state to recognize that the ACT Centers could benefit people across the Commonwealth," said ACT President Ferguson. "We appreciate the creative vision and leadership that has led to these grand openings today - leadership that opens the door of opportunity to all citizens and all businesses in Kentucky."

The ACT Centers in Kentucky will provide the following services:

· Workplace skills assessments
· Continuing education courses in a broad array of disciplines
· Skill-specific training in selected fields
· Distance learning with state-of-the-art technology
· Computer-delivered certification and licensure tests for the trades and professions
· On-demand learning opportunities for individuals or groups

Osram Sylvania Inc., a Central Kentucky employer that has used the ACT product called WorkKeys, looks forward to the possibilities that will result from the ACT/KCTCS partnership, said Mike McNulty, plant manager.
"This has the capability to link our in-house training to a more formal program for people to get credit for what they are learning and doing," said McNulty, who manages the Osram Sylvania operation in Winchester. "Because the courses are offered on-line, employees would be able to log on at the workplace to get access to the ACT classes."

All of the ACT Centers in Kentucky are now operational, Bird said. To learn more about services provided at the ACT Centers in Kentucky, contact Keith Bird or Jamie Justice, KCTCS, at 859-246-3146.

• KCTCS includes 26 colleges that operate in 16 seamless districts. KCTCS colleges change lives by providing accessible and affordable education and training through academic and technical associate degrees; diploma and certificate programs in occupational fields; pre-baccalaureate education; adult, continuing and developmental education; customized training for business and industry; and distance learning. For more information, visit www.kctcs.edu.
  
  
• ACT Inc. is a not-for-profit organization best known for its educational assessment, planning and research services, including the ACT Assessment, a leading college admissions and placement exam. ACT also provides extensive services for workforce development, and is developing a nationwide system of ACT Centers. Visit www.act.org on the Web.