News

ECTC creates Coding Academy

December 30, 2019 By krda

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College now is accepting applications for the Greater Knox Coding Academy. The first-of-its-kind program at ECTC train peoples to be certified information technology professionals with skills that are in high demand from area defense contractors that support Fort Knox, according to college officials.

The first cohort will begin training in February.

ECTC President Juston Pate said the program was developed after retired Brig. Gen. Jim Iacocca, the chief executive officer of Knox Regional Development Alliance, shared news of the challenges defense contractors face in finding certified IT talent locally for critical missions at Fort Knox.

Many of the vacant positions have starting salaries as high as $65,000 per year.

“We knew we needed to develop a solution because supporting Fort Knox, our region’s largest employer, is paramount and doing so provides opportunities for people right here in our region. It is a win-win,” Pate said. “We know we have the talent locally to fill the vacancies, they just need the right training.”

Graduates of the 17-week program will be prepared to test for certification in CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Security+ and as an Oracle Java SE 8 Certified Junior Associate.

“These are certifications the contractors specifically identified for us,” said ECTC’s Steve Bratcher, Coding Academy coordinator.

Bratcher said admission to the program is selective and highly competitive. People ages 17 and older are eligible to apply, including high school seniors. After conferring with area school superintendents, ECTC intentionally chose the February start date so seniors could complete the course in conjunction with their graduation.

All applicants are required to take three aptitude tests, pass a background check and participate in an interview to be considered for the academy. The aptitude tests can all be taken at ECTC’s testing center. Each test takes approximately one hour.

“This is a very demanding course and the certification tests are extremely difficult,” Bratcher said. “We have developed a program to give participants the best chance of passing. The application process is designed to select candidates who are well-positioned to succeed in our program.”

Bratcher said the background check is designed to eliminate people with a criminal history who would have a challenging time receiving security clearance required for jobs on the military installation.

Bratcher said the college plans to offer the course two additional times in 2020 but the cost almost certainly will increase. Offered through the college’s Workforce Solutions department, it does not qualify for most traditional forms of financial aid.

“Testing for the certifications alone costs more than $2,500,” he said. “This is an incredible opportunity for students willing to dedicate the time to the course.”

The class will run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and lunch is provided.

Iacocca touted ECTC’s leadership and responsiveness. When decision makers at the Department of Defense are looking at where to add missions, among the many things considered, he said, is whether the community is supportive and has a skilled workforce.

“The Greater Knox Coding Academy is yet another example of how time and again this community steps up and supports Fort Knox,” Iacocca said. “ECTC epitomizes the words community partner.”

While the academy is designed in response to Fort Knox workforce needs, Pate said coding skills academy graduates will acquire knowledge also in demand by several of the region’s employers.

Source: The News-Enterprise

New Army assessment is ideal fit at Fort Knox

December 13, 2019 By krda

Beginning in early January, Fort Knox will play a new and important role in how the U.S. Army identifies and selects future battalion commanders.

The post has been selected for the Battalion Commander Assessment Program, a new five-day course geared at moving forward the best-of-the-best of Army officers on the Lieutenant Colonel Centralized Selection List in their pursuit of battalion command.

About 800 officers on the Army’s list of potential principal and alternate command leader will attend BCAP annually on post at Fort Knox from Jan. 15 to Feb. 9. Some 150 or so Army leaders and cadre will relocate to Fort Knox in support of the program.

The program is part of a larger strategic shift prioritized by Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville to move beyond what he characterized in November as the Army’s “industrial age” personnel management practices, a system of promotion and leadership assignment based on seniority.

“Right now, we spend more time and more money on selecting a private to be in the Ranger Regiment than we do on selecting what I would argue is one of the most consequential leadership positions in the Army, our battalion commanders,” McConville said.

Maj. Gen. John Evans Jr., commanding general of U.S. Army Cadet Command and Fort Knox, praised the Army’s decision in selecting the local post for the program. He believes as the home of U.S. Army Cadet Command and U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox is ideal for this program.

“It’s literally our daily business here to produce future Army leaders and select existing leaders for the right command positions,” Evans said.

Success with the program will be important for the Army for a number of reasons.

While the candidates’ file of performance and career achievements will continue to be part of the selection process, new physical, verbal, written, cognitive and non-cognitive assessments will combine with interview sessions by behavioral psychologists and panels of senior Army officers to more fully equip promotion decision-makers to understand the candidate’s total skill set.

Sometimes hidden in past practices, potential success derailers will be more easily identified through the expanded program.

Better command promotion decisions with more well-rounded and better qualified and equipped lieutenant colonels provides stronger leadership for other officers and NCOs under their command, improving retention and fostering other future leaders.

The program is equally important to the future of Fort Knox, too.

Moving more of the Army’s future command leadership ranks through skill development and leadership training programs at Fort Knox results in hundreds of future mission placement decision-makers and influencers with a firsthand familiarity of the post’s key attributes.

Chief among these are Fort Knox’s world-class 360-degree live-fire ranges and training areas; fully instrumented C-130 capable airfield, energy resilience and ability to produce more energy and water than it consumes, state-of-the-art physical and cyber security, modern facilities, buildable acreage and central location within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population.

More Army commanders and top leadership with firsthand knowledge of what Knox has to offer strengthens the post’s position for new and expanded missions.

This editorial represents a consensus of The News-Enterprise editorial board.

Guthrie Hosts Fort Knox at Energy Innovation Showcase

December 12, 2019 By krda

Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, this week hosted representatives from the U.S. Army and Fort Knox at the committee’s Energy and Environment Innovation Showcase.

The Energy and Environment Innovation Showcase highlighted businesses and organizations from across the country that are developing and deploying breakthrough technologies to reduce emissions and save energy.

“I invited the U.S. Army and Fort Knox to the Energy and Environment Innovation Showcase because I wanted my colleagues on the committee to see the fantastic work they are doing to make the installation energy independent,” said Guthrie. “Fort Knox’s program is a model for what other bases and organizations can do to take advantage of natural resources and achieve energy independence. I was proud to highlight this impressive work at the showcase, and I know my colleagues appreciated hearing from Fort Knox and the U.S. Army.”

“The Army is highly dependent on energy and needs access to it in many forms, including electricity, liquid fuels, natural gas and others. The Army has several critical missions that cannot be accomplished if natural disasters or adversaries disrupt the energy supply; therefore, the Army is working with energy providers to implement energy resilience solutions. Reliable access to energy is vital to support Multi-Domain Operations, and the Army appreciates the support from Congress over the years. Energy resilience enables Army readiness,” said Mr. Michael F. McGhee, P.E., Executive Director, Office of Energy Initiatives, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary (Energy & Sustainability) at the U.S. Army

Congressman Guthrie has long supported Fort Knox’s energy independence program. Last year, he authored legislation to make the program permanent.

Source: U.S. Congressman Brett Guthrie

AUSA Convention

October 18, 2019 By krda

Brig. Gen. (Ret) Jim Iacocca recently represented KRDA at the 2019 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) national convention in Washington, D.C. At the event, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville announced that the Army’s new battalion commander assessment program will take place at Fort Knox. Because of this, officers considered for battalion command in the Army as well as the general officers who assess them will now have the opportunity to see first-hand what a great installation and wonderful community we have.

Brig. Gen. (Ret) Iacocca also met with upwards of 23 general officers and senior officials from the Department of the Army and Department of Defense as well as several defense contractors. Following the convention, Brig. Gen. (Ret) Iacocca visited Capitol Hill where he met with Sen. Rand Paul, Rep. Brett Guthrie and Sen. Mitch McConnell’s staff. They discussed potential opportunities for growth in our region and a new IT workforce development initiative that is being developed with our partners at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.

Secretary of Defense meets KRDA investors

October 17, 2019 By krda

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Sen. Rand Paul makes stop in E’town

September 24, 2019 By krda

Source: The News-Enterprise

Board members and investors of the Knox Regional Development Alliance got a personal visit Monday from U.S. Sen. Rand Paul.

“I think it’s just wonderful Sen. Paul would be willing to take some time to spend some time with members of the Knox Regional Development Alliance,” said Beth Avey, vice president for operations.

Avey said Paul always has interesting facts to share. Some of the information he shared Monday during the development alliance meeting hosted at Swope Toyota in Elizabethtown revolved around the economy and military.

Paul said 137,000 people are coming up out of extreme poverty every day.

“Our country’s unemployment is about 3 percent; the economy is booming … it is a good time right now,” he said.

Paul said the country has doubled its economy eight times over the last 200 years.

“Why is our economy thriving? Why is the world economy thriving? To me, it is a very simple answer. It is allowing people to be free to trade their services or their goods with very little interruption from government and also allow them to trade them across country lines,” said Paul, a Republican.

Paul also mentioned two bills he is sponsoring. One is a bill for widows of people who died in combat. He said there has been a quirk in the payment where they get less. He said the government is trying to get that fixed.

Avey said it was good to hear the work Paul is doing to correct the situation with widow benefits.

“Anything that we can do collectively at all levels to support soldiers and families or military and their families is a win,” she said.

The second bill has to do with soldiers in Afghanistan.

“I think we have been too long in Afghanistan. I think the mission is completed. You can’t find a General who can tell you what the mission is any longer,” he said, noting it is very expensive. He said it costs about $51 billion a year to have troops deployed there.

“I have a bill to end it. To get rid of the 2001 authorization and give everybody who served over there a $2,500 bonus,” he said. “ … I think at the very least we need to debate it. We voted in 2001. I would have voted for it in 2001 but it is a long time. I think we need to reassess what the mission is there.”

Paul said he continues “to believe we shouldn’t spend money we don’t have whether it is for a good cause or bad cause.”

He said the country now is running on trillion-dollar deficits.

“Whose fault is it, Republicans or Democrats? I say, yes. It’s both parties. Both parties want to spend money for different reasons,” he said. “ … The right wants more military money and the left wants more welfare money and they both get it and everything goes up.”

“We can’t just spend money we don’t have,” Paul added.

Al March of the Fort Knox area chapter Military Officers Association said he always has been impressed with Paul’s view of economics.

“He would readily agree what we are doing as a nation wouldn’t ever work as an individual household,’’ March said. “Historically, we’ve spent more and more money than we have and it is just not supportable in the long run. It just does not make sense. From an individual point of view you can understand that. But it is just as true at the nation level.”

Paul also mentioned his new book, “The Case Against Socialism” to those in attendance.