Every year, ECTC seeks out ways to expand the exceptional opportunities offered to students. For example, our work to partner with four-year colleges and universities through the Robbins University Center continues and students soon will have even more bachelor’s degree opportunities close to home. We’ve also centralized Military and Veterans Services to welcome and better serve this important student population. In the classrooms, we’ve taken nursing instruction to a new level with Victoria, a high-fidelity manikin capable of simulating up to nine true-to-life labor and delivery experiences, and our automotive technology program is now a Toyota TECS (Technical Education College Support) Elite certified training center.



As the region’s leader in workforce training and education, ECTC works hand in hand with employers to develop pipelines of qualified workers. In 2023, our Workforce Solutions team collaborated with employers across industry sectors to provide customized training, and we broke ground on the ECTC BlueOval SK Training Center, where employees of BlueOval SK Battery Park will prepare for cutting-edge careers. We also were proud to partner with the Elizabethtown-Hardin County Industrial Foundation to invest $140,000 in an endowment, creating a permanent funding source for workforce training. In addition, ECTC took promising steps in 2023 to educate young students about the region’s high-demand career fields. For example, a summer externship program provided high school teachers and counselors with hands-on advanced manufacturing training, and our new virtual reality program allows students to step into the shoes of welders, robotics technicians, nurses and others.

Before ECTC students can focus on their education, they must first have basic needs like housing, food and transportation covered. The college’s partnership with Family Scholar House grew even stronger in 2023. Together, we hosted several food drives and volunteer events that were supported by ECTC Foundation members, ECTC employees, and the community. More students were helped with anything from a snack bag to toiletries, financial advising to a listening ear. Also this year, ECTC and FSH launched the Home for Hope campaign, which will provide on-campus housing for 48 student parents.  

We don’t want anyone to miss out on a college education because they think they can’t afford it. That’s why we’re thrilled to offer more opportunities to earn a credential at little or no cost. In the 2022-23 school year, ECTC students were awarded a record-breaking $1.5 million in Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship funds. Plus, thanks to the generosity of donors and a growing list of scholarships, students from all walks of life were awarded $185,000 in ECTC scholarships. Also, ECTC’s partnership with the Metallica Scholars Initiative continues to provide scholarships for advanced manufacturing students.

The ECTC family is a large one, and it encompasses not only students, alumni, faculty and staff, but also those in the community who have contributed in some way to the success of both students and the college as a whole. In 2023, Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory was awarded the President’s Pathfinder Award in recognition of his impact in the community and his continued support of ECTC.