Hopkinsville, KY – Hopkinsville Community College (HCC) will host a HOPFAME open house on Tuesday, February 11th from 5:00pm until 7:00pm in the Emerging Technologies Building on HCC’s Hopkinsville campus.The open house offers an opportunity for individuals interested in an advanced manufacturing career to learn about the benefits of the HOPFAME program, meet instructors and industry partners, interact with current and former HOPFAME students, and tour classrooms.
The Hopkinsville Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (HOPFAME) is a partnership of nearly 20 regional manufacturers, educational institutions, and community organizations whose purpose is to implement apprenticeship-style training to create a pipeline of highly skilled workers in advanced manufacturing.
“HOPFAME students can earn a degree with little or no debt and gain experience that helps them obtain employment, often with their industry sponsor,” said HOPFAME Success Coach Mary-Rachel Leach. “This hands-on, paid experience is ideal for recent high school graduates, military veterans, career-changers, and current employees who want to upskill.”
HOPFAME participants attend classes two days a week and work at a sponsoring manufacturer for a competitive wage a minimum of 24 hours each week. This work-and-learn format gives students the opportunity to immediately apply what they learn on campus in a real-world setting at work. Students who complete the five-semester program receive an associate in applied science degree and often graduate with zero student-loan debt.
The program also incorporates critical soft skills into the curriculum. Attendance, communication, diligence, teamwork, interpersonal relations, and initiative are emphasized both in the classroom and at the workplace.
With the practical skills gained during their paid work experience, HOPFAME graduates frequently take full-time positions with their sponsoring companies. Graduates can also continue their education toward bachelor’s degrees in engineering.
The application deadline for this year’s cohort is April 1st, 2025. The application is available online at http://rebrand.ly/HOPFAME. To be considered for the program, an applicant must have a high school diploma or GED and meet minimum requirements on standardized tests in English, math, and reading.
Students who are selected for the program earn a competitive wage while working for a HOPFAME sponsoring company. Some past sponsoring companies include:
- Brazeway
- Comefri
- Continental Mills
- Huhtamaki
- JTEKT
- LG Electronics
- Martinrea
- Metalsa Structural Products
- Novelis
- Par4 Plastics
- Plymouth Engineered Shapes
- Pregis
- Riken Elastomers
- T.RAD North America
- Toyoda Gosei
- Treehouse Foods
- Wabash National
- White Drive Products
To learn more about KYFAME, visit www.KYFAME.com.
About the Hopkinsville Community College
For many Pennyrile Kentucky region and Fort Campbell residents, higher education begins at Hopkinsville Community College (HCC). The college serves thousands of area residents each year as a comprehensive regional learning center providing academic and technical associate degrees; diploma and certificate programs in occupational fields; prebaccalaureate education; adult, continuing and developmental education; customized training for business and industry; and distance learning.
As part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, HCC is a critical component to transforming the region’s economy by providing citizens with the education and training needed for high growth, high wage careers. For more information, visit Hopkinsville.kctcs.edu.
HCC is an equal opportunity employer and education institution.
