Hopkinsville Community College has announced its 2020 HOPFAME Distinguished Graduate.
Matthew Caleb Evitts, of Clifty, who is a 2018 graduate of Todd County Central High School received the honor. Evitts earned an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Industrial Maintenance Technology in May upon completion of the HOPFAME program.
The HOPFAME program is a work-and-learn partnership between HCC and nearly 20 regional manufacturers. Evitts was employed by Metalsa Structural Products during the two-year program. He was selected for the award based on his outstanding performance both in the classroom and on the job.
College officials say the Distinguished Graduate Award is the highest honor bestowed in the local FAME chapter and recognizes the graduate who most fully embodies all of the key elements of the program. The award considers performance at work, application of professional behaviors and manufacturing core exercises, leadership, and grade point average.
HOPFAME is the Hopkinsville chapter of the Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (KYFAME), a collaborative of manufacturers whose purpose is to implement apprentice-style training to create a pipeline of highly skilled workers.
Twenty-six participants have completed the five-semester program at HCC since its launch in 2016. HOPFAME students attend classes at HCC two days each week and work at their employer site three days a week. The curriculum includes not only essential hands-on training but also lean manufacturing principles and critical workplace behaviors. Graduates have 18 months of work experience, extensive knowledge in electricity, fluid power, mechanics, fabrication, and robotics, as well as personal skills necessary for success.
A new group of HOPFAME students began training on August 11. Members of the new cohort are Zachary Ayers; Spencer Harned; and Eddie Keeling, all of Hopkinsville, Jeremy Foster, of Elkton, and Jessica Smith, of Princeton.