Toyota yesterday announced three workforce readiness initiatives at its Kentucky plant to develop future talent and further train employees.
The first program, in collaboration with Scott County Schools, involves an investment of up to $1 million to launch and sustain the 4T Academy, a hands-on training program that gives high school juniors and seniors a pathway to a manufacturing career.
Students will follow a state-approved curriculum in traditional high school classes while learning and training in a simulated factory environment. The 4T Academy will house a collaborative classroom space, electric and pneumatic tool training stations, a simulated vehicle production line, and many other high-tech components. Seniors enrolled in 4T Academy will earn around $18 an hour while working alongside industry experts at Toyota Kentucky.
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The company is also investing in its current employees with the grand opening of a new 20,000-square-foot, $3 million onsite training center at Toyota Kentucky. The center will allow workers to upskill on new technologies and advanced manufacturing processes.
The Kentucky plant is Toyota’s largest in the world, with some 10,000 employees. The $10 billion plant makes the Camry Hybrid and the RAV4 Hybrid.
By late 2025/early 2026, the company expects the factory to be the first Toyota facility in North America to assemble a battery electric vehicle.
Finally, Toyota will provide 10 Sienna vans to partner schools in Fayette and Scott Counties to address student transportation challenges. The donation is part of Toyota’s Driving Possibilities program, a Toyota USA Foundation initiative that centers on three key areas in Kentucky: expanding literacy and language resources, building education and industry partnerships, and addressing transportation barriers.
The initiative aims to close educational gaps through hands-on science, technology, engineering and math programs and address the essential needs of students and families.
Since the program launched in July 2024, it has invested more than $3 million in Scott and Fayette County Schools and will provide up to $5.7 million during the next several years.
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