HCC invites prospective students to HOPFAME open house

The Hopkinsville Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education program at Hopkinsville Community College, better known as HOPFAME, is now accepting applications, and prospective students are invited to an upcoming open house to learn more about the program.

HOPFAME is a two-year program where students attend classes two days a week and then complete an apprenticeship at a regional manufacturer. HOPFAME partners with companies such as JTEKT, Huhtamaki, Metalsa and Freudenberg to provide hands-on working opportunities.

HCC Work-and-Learn Coordinator Mary-Rachel Leach and HOPFAME President Stuart Zieman from JTEKT recently appeared on WHOP to talk about the open house and share more information about the program. Zieman says the open house is a chance for prospective students and their families to learn about the program’s structure, tour classrooms, meet with instructors and industry partners and get an idea of what it would be like to work in manufacturing.

Zieman says the work-and-learn structure of the program sets students up to have successful careers post-graduation. Not only will they be graduating with their associate degrees, but he says they will already have over two years of work experience under their belt.

The application deadline for the upcoming cohort is April 1, and the open house will have representatives from HCC’s admissions and financial aid offices to help students who are interested in applying.

The open house is from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on February 10 at the HCC Emerging Technologies Building. More information about the HOPFAME program is available at hopkinsville.kctcs.edu.