Spring Term • Issue 1 • January 19, 2018
Return on Investment:
Making a $141.3 Million Mark Imagine going to a bank and opening a savings account that for every $1 you put into it, you could earn $6.60 in return. A savings account with a nearly 21 percent rate of return may sound hard to believe; however, a recent economic impact study of West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) shows investing in education from WKCTC can be like opening that dream savings account.
THE
NEWS LETTER
4180 Alben Barkley Drive Paducah, KY 42001
westkentucky.kctcs.edu (270) 554-9200
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New I-CAR Curriculum Saves Students Money
According to a study by Economic Modeling Specialists International (Emsi), WKCTC students pay for tuition, fees, books and supplies, and spend time as an investment in their education to receive higher earnings later.
Paducah resident Brandon Gossett is the first student at West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) to receive I-CAR Pro Level 1 certification in painting and refinishing.
For every $1 that students spend on education at WKCTC, they can expect $6.60 in return, making the average annual rate of return for students 20.7%. This is an impressive return, especially when compared to the 30-year average of 10.1 % return to the U.S. stock market, the analysis said.
WKCTC’s collision repair technology program has recently adopted the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair or I-CAR curriculum to ensure students are kept abreast of ongoing changes in Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) technology, materials, manufacturing capabilities, and standards.
“We’ve known how important our college is to the region we serve, but it’s good to have tangible data that shows the exact value and impact we have,” said WKCTC President Anton Reece. “This report confirms that West Kentucky is a great investment not only for the students who attend but also for the community and our region.” Emsi, the Moscow, Idaho-based independent company, took into account the initial effect of WKCTC’s spending, as well as the ripple effect the spending has on the college’s supply chain and the spending of its employees. continued on Page 2
Craig Dickerson, collision repair technology program coordinator and parttime I-CAR instructor has qualified to teach each of the more than 30+ classes in the I-CAR curriculum by successfully completing an I-CAR technical evaluation. The addition of the I-CAR curriculum, at no additional cost to WKCTC collision repair students, offers students potential benefits they may not find at other institutions. In fact, before this curriculum was added at WKCTC getting the I-CAR training and certification would require students to travel outside their communities, Dickerson said. “We’re able to offer this curriculum to them here to help them in gaining employment, so it’s a cost saving for them. Realistically if they were receiving this training after they were employed, “Dickerson said, “their employer would probably be paying for the training themselves. It just makes them more marketable as a technician. It’s something really good to put on their resume- that they already have $4,000 - $5,000 worth of training.”
KENTUCKY COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM