Scholarship opportunities are now available for the GO FEMALES program, an initiative designed to “skill up” female incumbent workers for advancement in the manufacturing industry. The program is run by Owensboro Community and Technical College, with local high school graduates able to continue education with little or no out-of-pocket expenses before getting a new job.
The program is for anyone interested in pursuing an advanced manufacturing career or those currently working in industry who need to continue working full-time while taking classes.
GO FEMALES, an acronym for Greater Owensboro Facilitating Equitable Manufacturing and Leadership Educational Solutions, seeks to grow the next generation of manufacturing technicians and leaders while promoting greater gender diversity.
GO FEMALES follows the GO FAME model of enrolling a group of students in an Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) degree program delivered by OCTC faculty, while also placing them in a technician-oriented position at a sponsoring manufacturing employer.
Participating students must be high school graduates and willing to learn and work in an accelerated, 18-month, multi-craft manufacturing technician program. Participating students attend classes for two full days per week and work as paid employees at the sponsoring company a minimum of three days per week.
The first GO FEMALES cohort launched in 2019, with 20 female employees from UniFirst Corporation in Owensboro. These students will complete the program in July 2021 and earn an associate degree.
UniFirst supports their GO FEMALES students by paying participants full-time wages and benefits throughout the program and providing them eight hours of paid time-off per week to attend classes.
The next cohort of GO FEMALES students will begin in August 2021. Anyone interested in pursuing a career in manufacturing or those who are already working in manufacturing can apply.
GO FEMALES Applications are available on the Greater Owensboro Economic Development website here.
For more information, interested applicants can contact OCTC Workforce Solutions Success Coach Antoine Smith-Rouse at [email protected] or 270-686-4641.
