Podcast: eKAMI Reskills Coal Miners for Machining and Automation Careers

Kathy Walker, founder and director of eKentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute (eKAMI), discusses the origins of the program, experiences of students and their employers (including AutoGuide) and the workforce landscape pre- and post-Covid. Walker outlines plans to replicate eKAMI's model and offers lessons for other employers and communities striving to optimize their workforces.

“Employers are calling left and right,” Walker says, noting that the next class graduates in late August. “Covid did exacerbate the need to automate. I believe we'll see explosive growth in this arena.”

The eKentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute – or eKAMI - is a workforce development training center focused on reskilling the region’s workforce, including displaced coal miners, for new careers in CNC machining and other forms of automation such as robotics.

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