Labor and Economic Development Committee Meeting - March 7, 2023
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Labor and Economic Development Committee Meeting - March 7, 2023
The Labor and Economic Development Committee met on March 7, 2023, at 3:07 PM in Council Chambers and virtually. Chair Pat Mulvihill (D-10) called the meeting to order with a quorum of seven members present. The sole agenda item was a presentation on the Advanced Manufacturing and Information Technology (AMIT) Center by Dr. Reneau Waggoner, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Dr. Nickie Cobb, Associate Vice President for Workforce Solutions, both from Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC). The meeting adjourned at 3:38 PM without any votes or formal actions.
Presentation: Advanced Manufacturing and Information Technology (AMIT) Center Updates
Dr. Waggoner and Dr. Cobb provided an overview of the AMIT Center, located at 762 South First Street. The 50,000-square-foot facility opened in August 2020 and houses programs in advanced manufacturing (machine tool, welding, industrial maintenance) and information technology (IT). Classes run Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 10 PM. Key data shared:
- Since fall 2020, 70 unique courses across 14 subject areas have been delivered.
- Pass rate is 89% (compared to the college-wide average of 70%).
- 970 students have enrolled, generating 2,677 course enrollments and approximately 8,000 credit hours.
- 3,506 credentials have been awarded, ranging from short-term certificates to associate degrees.
- High-wage, high-demand occupations: industrial maintenance average annual wage $59,000; KY FAME program graduates (employer-sponsored, 2.5 years) reach $70,000–$80,000 within two years of graduation.
- About 80% of technical program graduates are employed in their field of study, often before graduation.
- Work-based learning programs highlighted: Waystar Scholars, BIT 502, Kentucky FAME, and MAPS, many allowing students to earn while learning debt-free.
- The building enabled expansion of automotive and aviation programs at JCTC's tech campus.
- Partnerships include small and large employers such as GE Appliances (vision system training for robotics), Toyota, and Waystar.
Discussion and Questions
Committee members engaged with presenters on several topics:
- Chair Mulvihill asked about the levels of credentials offered (certificate, diploma, associate degree) and how they align with employer needs. Dr. Cobb explained certificates can be earned in as little as one month, diplomas in about one year, and associate degrees in two years. Programs are 100% workforce-driven and can start on demand.
- Vice Chair Anthony Piagentini (R-19) praised the direct-to-employment model and noted that wage data shown (from 2019–2020) likely understates current wages due to inflation. He recommended sharing placement rates (confirmed at ~80%) as a key metric. He also highlighted the relevance of JCTC programs to emerging industries like the new battery plant south of Louisville.
- Councilman Phillip T. Baker (D-6) inquired about diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, particularly for women and underrepresented minorities. Dr. Cobb described targeted recruitment through the Waystar Scholars program, efforts to recruit female instructors (e.g., female electrician and welder), and plans for a women-in-industrial-maintenance cohort. She provided contact information (email: nicole.cobb@kctcs.edu) for those interested.
- Councilman Robin Engel (R-22) asked about outreach to younger students, especially through Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS). Dr. Waggoner noted ongoing coordination with JCPS leadership, dual credit efforts, and recruitment from surrounding counties (Carroll, Shelby, Bullitt). Councilman Engel emphasized the importance of the AMIT Center for attracting major manufacturing employers and urged continued engagement with the council.
Key Outcomes
No formal motions, votes, or referrals were made. The committee received the presentation with appreciation. Chair Mulvihill suggested arranging a tour of the AMIT Center for interested council members. The committee is scheduled to meet again in two weeks.
Meeting Transcript
Metro T TV, give us about one minute, please. Thank you. It is Tuesday, March seventh. The time is uh three. Oh seven. Three oh seven. All right. We're running a couple minutes behind, so uh, but hopefully we will have an enlightened conversation and we won't need the entire hour. Uh, Madam Clerk, can you read uh the preamble to why this is both a virtual and non-virtual meeting? Yes, this meeting is being held pursuit to KRS 61.826 in Council Rule 5A read in full. Okay. Thank you. We don't have any agenda items to vote on today, but we do have a uh uh special presentation, and it's regarding advanced manufacturing and information technology center updates, and we have Dr. Renee Wagner and Dr. Nikki Cobb of Jefferson Community and Technical College, better known as JCTC. They're gonna do a presentation and then we will take some questions. So with that, if you just again introduce yourself for the record and then uh please proceed. Thank you. Thank you. I'm Renee Wagner, Vice President of Academic Affairs. And I am Nikki Cobb, and I am the associate vice president for workforce solutions. Well, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you all. I was at Jefferson um before the AMET building was constructed, but it was in concept when I was here. And but I do want to thank the Metro Council because you were all very instrumental in us being able to have this building. Um how many of you have ever toured? Is anybody here familiar, been on a tour, been in the building? Awesome. Um just and if we haven't, how can we get get a tour and set up or just let us know. Okay, make it available. I'm sure if we haven't, I know I haven't, and there might be other members here. I know uh Philip has, so but I'm sure some of us would like to, so maybe we can set something up. We'd love for you to thank you. Just a few quick facts. It's located on 762 South First Street, it's 50,000 square feet facility, opened in August of 2020. Um, in terms of the building overview, most of our programs inside the building are advanced manufacturing machine tool welding and information technology. We run classes in the building uh Monday through Friday. We start as early as 7 a.m. and we end by 10 p.m. Okay. So we were gonna ask you what AMIT stands for, but our chair already shared that. So we will um it stands for advanced manufacturing and information technology. So I'm gonna take a few minutes to talk about some of the programs that are housed in our advanced manufacturing and IT building. As Dr. Wagner said, we have a large space dedicated to industrial maintenance, which is going to be what some of you all may be familiar with as our KY FAME program is housed there. We'll talk a little bit about that today during our presentation. But this is gonna be the lab where we have all the basic electrical motor controls, robotics, automation, PLCs, and things of that nature. So any of our manufacturing companies that have equipment that needs repair, this is kind of the space where we teach people to do that. We also have our machine tool lab, so this is gonna be where our students learn all things about being a machinist, including lays and mills and CNC, 3D printing, things of that nature. And we also have a welding lab as well, which can be your traditional MIG TIG stick welding. Uh we have about 12 booths there, so kind of significant expansion.
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