KY Power Equipment Will Help ACTC Electrical Program

The Big Sandy Plant of AEP Kentucky Power Company recently made a donation of electrical control equipment to the Electrical Technology Program at Ashland Community and Technical College.

We realize we have been a beneficiary of the ACTC Electrical Technology Program, and we are proud to be a partner with ACTC in advancing the Electrical Education Program, said Gregory D. Ward, Maintenance Superintendent at the Big Sandy Plant. We hope this donation will have a meaningful impact on student education.

The equipment included module processors, programmable controllers, digital and analog input and output modules, Ethernet switches, and an interface communicator.

These items will of great benefit to the ACTC Electrical Technology Program, said Program Coordinator Harold E. Henry, an ACTC Associate Professor. The voice and data technology and the programmable logic controls equipment will facilitate the addition of several new training opportunities for the students. Donations like these from industry are much needed and greatly appreciated.

This equipment, although not needed by Big Sandy because of recent updates, is still current in the industry, Henry added. Our students will be able to learn on a variety of systems that are still used on the job.

We are pleased that Kentucky Power was able to provide this equipment to enhance our Electrical Technology Program, said Dr. Kay Adkins, ACTC President and CEO. Our partnerships with businesses such as Kentucky Power that employ our graduates are important in helping us fulfill our educational mission.

The Electrical Technology program offers an industrial electrician diploma and eight certificates in construction, motor control and residential electricity.

On September 19, AEP Kentucky Powers Big Sandy Plant presented ACTC with process and control equipment to help train the electricians and electrical technicians of the future. Shown from left are Electrical Technology Instructors Matthew Louanglath and Jesse James; Richard Burnett, Division Chair for Manufacturing, Transportation and Industrial Technologies; Harold Henry, ACTC Electrical Technology Program Coordinator; Gregory D. Ward, Big Sandy Plant Maintenance Supervisor; Mike Cannoy, Big Sandy Plant Instrument Control Technician Senior, and Dr. Janie Kitchen, ACTC Dean of Academic Affairs.