New Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship campaign encourages adults to go to college

From Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College -

Cumberland, Ky. – Never Underestimate You! That’s the mantra behind a new campaign for the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship, an effort to boost education and employability among adults.

The scholarship, which Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College began offering in 2017, offers up to 60 hours of free tuition for anyone who has not yet earned an associate degree. It covers a wide variety of technical programs in health care, manufacturing, business/IT, construction/skilled trades and transportation/logistics. Over 350 courses are currently available.

Funded by the Kentucky Lottery, courses are available through Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College and the other 15 colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), Campbellsville University, Eastern Kentucky University, Galen College of Nursing, MedQuest College, Northern Kentucky University, Sullivan University, University of Kentucky and Western Kentucky University.

Daniel Baldwin

David Baldwin, who is pursuing a degree in Air Conditioning Technology at Southeast, credits the funding with making his education possible. “It look a lot to me,” he said. He chose HVAC because “I like to be challenged, and I wanted a job that I could raise a family with.”

The new campaign features a hotline number (833-711-WRKS) that adults can call to receive assistance from college advisors on how to enroll in the program. Other components include special events, paid media and a Work Ready website.

Buffalo “B.” Stille

Hip-hop artist Buffalo “B.” Stille of the Nappy Roots is the campaign spokesperson and created a rap about the scholarship that is featured in all the advertising.

Stille, a Grammy and American Music Awards nominee, recently earned his bachelor’s degree and champions education as the key to a better life. His rap urges Kentuckians to “Never underestimate you!” He is a Louisville resident and Kentucky native.

“I believe that education is the one thing that nobody can take away from you,’ said Stille. “The Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship program is amazing because it offers a lot of different skills sets and is tuition free. If I can go back to school anybody can do it.”

The Work Ready campaign is a partnership between KCTCS, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, the Kentucky Lottery, Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority, Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, The Graduate Network, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, Prichard Committee and AARP. It is also supported and partially funded by the Lumina Foundation.

For more information about Work Ready and the campaign, visit https://workreadykentucky.com/ or contact Anna Stewart at 606-248-2064 or astewart0133@kctcs.edu.