Owensboro Community and Technical College launches Workforce Academy with Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club
The partnership is made possible through a grant Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club received from Kentucky's Kids Workforce Grant through the Kentucky Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs and the Kentucky Education & Labor Cabinet.
Owensboro Community and Technical College and Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club have teamed up for a Workforce Academy for local kids that the college will be hosting from February 11 to April 1, 2026. The eight-week program will provide teenagers with introductions to in-demand career pathways and the types of skills they will need to become successful in those careers.
According to an article on Owensboro Community and Technical College’s website, Becky Barnhart, who serves as the Director of Workforce Solutions at the college, which will be hosting the Workforce Academy, was quoted as saying of the partnership, "Our partnership with the Boys & Girls Club continues to grow and these events provide more opportunities to plant seeds for future workforce growth.”
Echoing these sentiments, Ryan Bibb, the Chief Operating Officer of the Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club, said, "Our partnership with Owensboro Community & Technical College is helping turn potential into opportunity. Through the eight-week Workforce Academy, our teens are taking meaningful steps toward career readiness and a successful life after high school."
The Workforce Academy will include 24 students from Owensboro and Daviess County, who will attend weekly two-hour sessions at Owensboro Community and Technical College’s downtown campus. The career fields and topics students will have the opportunity to explore are Leadership and Essential Skills for Business, Healthcare and Veterinary Technology, Carpentry, Advanced Manufacturing, Technology and Innovation, and Supply Chain, Logistics, and Transportation.
The Workforce Academy, which will end on April 1 with a Celebration and Completion Ceremony, builds upon the college’s Hands on Horizon event, which is returning in April 2026.
Students will also have the opportunity to apply for the Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club’s E.K. Jack Barnard Scholarship, which is available to high school seniors in Owensboro/Daviess County and Ohio County. Recipients will be awarded $1,500 per semester, renewable for one year, for a total of $3,000. Students can begin applying on April 1, 2026.
For more information about Owensboro Community and Technical College, visit the school’s website.