Gov. Beshear Helps Cut Ribbon on New Jobs Training Center for BlueOval SK Battery Park

Published on Thursday, May 9, 2024 by Nicole Cornett, Managing Editor of Expansion Solutions Magazine

Battery park expected to create 5,000 jobs; 700-plus Kentucky workers already hired

Gov. Andy Beshear joined business and community leaders to cut the ribbon on a center that will train Kentuckians for new jobs at the BlueOval SK Battery Park, which is creating 5,000 new jobs. The park is located in Glendale and contains the two largest battery plants in the world.

The Governor said BlueOval SK has already hired more than 700 employees in Kentucky at all experience levels, and the 42,000-square-foot ECTC BlueOval SK Training Center will start onboarding classes in June. Officials from Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC), BlueOval SK, SK On, Ford Motor Co. and Trace Creek Construction, as well as state legislators and ECTC students, joined the Governor to cut the ribbon.

“Thanks to great Team Kentucky partners like Ford and SK On, we’re the electric vehicle battery capital of the United States, and I want to thank them for betting on Kentucky and our world-class workforce,” Gov. Beshear said. “I also want to thank ECTC and Trace Creek Construction for getting this center ready ahead of schedule. It is an exciting time to be a Kentuckian – this summer we’re going to start preparing folks for new jobs at BlueOval SK – a park that is going to benefit Kentucky families for generations to come.”

Battery Knowledge

The primary curriculum for the training facility will support battery knowledge, roles and skills. BlueOval SK will train employees in SK On’s proprietary technical, quality and manufacturing processes in the ECTC BlueOval SK Training Center’s virtual reality labs, industrial maintenance lab, work simulation lab and ergonomics techniques classrooms.

“The new ECTC BlueOval SK Training Center provides another opportunity for Kentuckians to begin working toward a rewarding, life-long career,” BlueOval SK CEO Michael Adams said. “Students here will be able to take the first step in learning to build the batteries of the future.”

The Governor thanked the teams at ECTC and BlueOval SK for their collaborative work on this center, which is the only co-branded learning facility within the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

“In a few short weeks, the ECTC BlueOval SK Training Center will open to trainees who are ready to begin innovative, high-quality careers,” said Dr. Juston Pate, ECTC president and CEO. “We are proud to play a vital role in preparing employees for these careers and ensuring the success of BlueOval SK’s historic investment in Hardin County and Kentucky.”

Kentucky Community and Technical College System President Dr. Ryan Quarles said, “KCTCS is the No. 1 provider of workforce training in the state. We’re proud to provide workforce solutions for more than 5,300 companies, like BlueOval SK, each year, and to be preparing students from all backgrounds for careers in these much-needed industries. Partnerships like this one help KCTCS rise to the challenge to meet the needs of our state’s employers and prepare the workforce of tomorrow to address Kentucky’s labor shortages.”

In September 2021, during a special session called by the Governor, the General Assembly allocated $25 million for this project in Senate Bill 5, which the Governor signed. Gov. Beshear and leaders from ECTC and BlueOval SK broke ground on this facility in April 2023. In November 2023, Gov. Beshear awarded an additional $10 million to support training and employee development at the center.
In September 2021, Gov. Beshear, Ford and SK On announced the transformative $5.8 billion investment to build two EV battery plants in Glendale, which are capable of producing more than 80 gigawatt hours annually. In 2022, Ford and SK On hosted a construction celebration at BlueOval SK Battery Park.

“Altogether, this is one of the finest examples of collaboration I’ve seen in my years of public service,” Rep. Samara Heavrin, who represents Glendale. “Elected officials, economic development agencies and our community college system have worked together at the local, regional and state levels to achieve this, and I’m particularly proud of the $25 million the legislature provided to make it happen. I hope it is replicated in regions across our commonwealth.”

“One of the main vertebrae in the spine of our community is our friends at KCTCS and ECTC,” said Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory. “This region owes much of our success in regard to industrial recruitment to our community and technical college’s ability to adapt curriculum to the needs of our industrial clients. The new ECTC BlueOval SK Training Center is further proof that private and public can collaborate to benefit the citizens of this region and the commonwealth of Kentucky for the foreseeable future.”

During today’s celebration, Gov. Beshear honored two leaders at Trace Creek Construction as Kentucky Colonels: David Milam, vice president, and Scott Dalton, superintendent. Because of their expertise, collaboration and focus, the facility was completed 24 days ahead of schedule. Trace Creek Construction also donated caps and gowns to ensure all ECTC graduates could participate in Monday’s commencement ceremony.

The Governor also recognized 10 new hires at BlueOval SK, who are all ECTC graduates, and congratulated members of the ECTC VEX U Robotics Team who attended the ribbon cutting. The team recently earned the highest individual match score at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas.