Employment Solutions Division Updates

Adult Day Program Opens in Morehead

Morehead is the home of our newest adult day training program.   As part of Kentucky’s Medicaid Waiver program, ADTs provide people with intellectual and other disabilities opportunities to learn new skill in a supportive environment.  

Additional Medicaid Waiver services provided by Employment Solutions include residential, therapeutic and other community supports.

Judge Goodwine Makes Commencement Address

On August 17, 2023 Appellate Judge Pamela Goodwine gave an inspirational address to the summer graduation class of the College of Technical Education.   Judge Goodwine told of the many barriers she overcame before attaining her current position including family tragedy and serious health issues.   

The College for technical Education operates a variety of post-secondary educational programs including cosmetology, esthetics, nail tech, medical assistant and business office professional 

Fresh Approach Relocates

In August 2023 Fresh Approach moved to its new location at 1084 Whipple Court.  Fresh Approach prepares fruits and vegetables for commercial restaurants.

Fresh Approach also provides skills training and the opportunity to earn wages for people with intellectual disabilities.   

FY 23-24 Budget    

Employment Solutions’ budget exceeds $25 million for the current fiscal year—an all-time high.  Among the operations of Employment Solutions are a career college, transportation, day training, residential and a behavioral health clinic.  

From the CEO

Employment Solutions has successfully emerged from the two-year Covid pandemic.   Thanks to the quick and decisive actions of the US Congress, enormous amounts of financial assistance from the federal government helped to stave off a recession

From my perspective the greatest lesson is that strategic planning is far less useful than the ability of pivot and adapt to circumstances that are unforeseeable.  

Employment Solutions Division Updates

Home Adaptations

In August, with the help of Transitions Lift and Elevator Life Works installed an electric chair lift in one of our FHP homes in Georgetown. Dwehde Salyer, FHP shed tears of joy as she watched Alice, 76 try out the new lift! Alice has a newfound level of independence in her home now thanks to the stair lift. Alice is able to operate the lift herself to go upstairs to her room or come downstairs to joint her family whenever she wants without assistance. Alice loves to show off her lift to everyone who visits her home!

Expressive Programs Gets New Space

On January 10, 2023 the Expressive Programs Division opened its expanded space at 1165 Centre Parkway.  Expressive Programs, provides for people with disabilities, a wide range of opportunities to explore the community, make friends and learn new levels of independence. We offer a variety of diverse, enriching programs and daily educational activities, with a full schedule monthly, for a wide range of interests. Expressive Programs brings community instructors, therapists and nutritionist into our program, as well as traveling out into the community for meaningful quality social experiences every day!

Having moved out of its former space at Whipple Court, the new space of 8,000 square feet features an abundance of exterior lighting, a huge activities room with a stage, ample teaching kitchen and an extensive patio.    Together with the space Expressive Programs already occupied at Centre Parkway the combined actives space totals over 10,000 square feet.

Fresh Approach to QBox Merge Locations

With the recent sale of the 1067 Whipple Court (Fresh Approach) building, the staff, participants and the various jobs they accomplish are moving next door to 1084 Whipple Court. Our participants are people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.    The types of work that our participants engage in performs for local business include the preparation of fresh fruit and vegetables.   Accordingly, this move involves the expansion of the existing training kitchen to a commercial kitchen with space to refrigerate and prepare food for sale.   This kitchen will also prepare breakfasts and lunches for our participants.  

Cosmetology Program Opens in Nicholasville

The latest operation of the College for Technical Education opened in June 2022 on 973 South Main Street in Nicholasville, Kentucky.   Programs in this new location include: Cosmetology, Nail Tech and Esthetics.    

College for Technical Education Receives Six-Year Accreditation

The Council of Occupational Education is a national accreditation body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an organization whose standards of quality are provided for administration, instruction and vocational outcomes for over 600 schools of post secondary education throughout the United States.

Periodically COE sends review teams to accredited schools, which thoroughly examine its administrative policies, safety procedures, financial stability, curriculum design and outcome measurements for student graduation and job placement.

Schools that meet or exceed the many hundreds of written standards that guide these reviews may receive accreditation approvals for up to six years.

In 2017, by virtue of having not a single finding from its most recent exhaustive review, CTE was awarded with the maximum accreditation of six years.

CTE Reduces Tuition

College for Technical Education implemented a 25%-30% decrease in tuition across all programs as of November 1, 2018. All new students entering into the college and beginning their program after November 1, 2018 are eligible. Students who are already enrolled at the college may be eligible for reduced tuition, depending on their status.

The College for Technical Education is a nationally accredited, non-profit college offering education in high demand fields such as Building Trades, Early Childhood, Cosmetology, Medical and Business.

For more information contact Brenda Evans at 859-272-5225.

Dress for Success Becomes Centre Parkway Neighbor

The mission of Dress for Success Lexington is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

As such, Dress for Success Lexington offers long-lasting solutions that enable women to break the cycle of poverty. Dress for Success provides its clients with professional attire and accessories, as well as the confidence and knowledge for women to actively define their own lives.

Employment Solutions has had a longtime relationship with Dress for Success and admires the many contributions this organization has made in our community. In January 2017 Dress for Success moved its operations to our 1165 Centre Parkway property in Lexington.

We are also excited that its proximity will make it much more convenient for the participants of Bluegrass Career Services and the students of the College for Technical Education to make use of its fine services.

Lt. Gov. Hampton Delivers Commencement Address

Employment Solutions was honored to have Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton as commencement speaker at the July 22nd graduation ceremony of the College for Technical Education.

In her remarks, the lieutenant governor reminded students how, as in her own experience, life is likely to take you into unexpected directions.

She also strongly encouraged everyone to be lifelong learners. The enthusiastic audience of over 400 friends and family members cheered as 40 graduates walked across the stage at Imani Baptist Church in Lexington to accept their certificates.

Graduations are held by CTE on a semi-annual basis.

Preparing Workers For Growing Opportunities In Medical Field

Because of an aging population and the expansion of Medicaid, Kentucky’s health-care industry is expanding and also is anticipated to continue to grow for many years to come. Within health care, one of the more prevalent entry-level professions is medical assistant, which performs a variety of essential functions such as recording medical histories, taking vital signs including EEGs, blood samples, and billing and coding responsibilities.

Schools that provide programs in medical assistance cover a wide variety of topics to prepare students to earn a Registered Medical Assistant or Certified Medical Assistant credential. To attain this credential, students who complete an accredited Medical Assistant program must pass a nationally recognized exam.

Compared to other area schools that typically take 18 to 24 months to train their students, the Medical Assistant program offered by the College for Technical Education is only nine months. CTE students, unlike any other school in the area, have achieved a 100 percent passage rate on this essential measure of competence.

We congratulate the students and faculty of the Medical Assistant program of the College for Technical Education. For additional information on Medical Assistant and the other programs offered by the College for Technical Education, please contact Andrea Mason at amason@cte.edu.

Winchester Is The Greatest

Since 2012, when we opened our CTE Cosmetology School at 2135 Bypass Road in Winchester, the College for Technical Education has found a community that feels like home.

Local citizens and elected officials have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome, and the students from the Winchester area are hard workers who have gone on to successful careers in the salon industry.

As a means of thanking Winchester for its hospitality, the CTE Cosmetology School has returned the favor in the following ways during this past year:

• Hosted the Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce after-hours event on July 20, 2016, which was attended by over 50 local businesspeople and officials.

• Provided haircuts and other salon services, free of charge, to 178 children during our back-to-school event Aug. 9-10, 2016.

• Participated as a sponsor of the 2016 Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival over Labor Day weekend.

• Participated the 2016 Beer Cheese Festival on June 11, 2016. Here’s to continuing our long and fruitful relationship with the community of Winchester.

Here’s to continuing our long and fruitful relationship with the community of Winchester.