EDGEWOOD, Ky. -- There is a new effort underway to overhaul education in Kentucky.
The goal is to better prepare students for the future especially in a new emerging industry in the Commonwealth.
Gov. Steve Beshear announced this week the TEK Task Force. It stands for Transforming Education in Kentucky.
The task force will look at many things including the focus on career and technical education.
At the JD Patton Area Technology Center in Edgewood, you expect to find students learning blue collar jobs like carpentry.
"I'm not exactly the smartest guy but this stuff is easier for me," said student Gared Williamson.
Now the technology school is expanding their curriculum to include green collar jobs.
The school is already in the forefront of programs that involve saving energy.
Now they've started a new one for adults that certifies them to be green energy auditors.
"Go into a house, weatherize it, cut down utility bills to save people money and they can apply it to other ways to enjoy their quality of life," said John Christiansen, a JD Patton instructor.
On Wednesday, Beshear stopped by JD Patton to recognize one of the first classes in the emerging industry.
"That's why it's so exciting to see a new industry forming in Kentucky and all the different kinds of jobs that will be involved in greening our communities, making our buildings more energy efficient and all of the other things that will go with that," said Beshear.
Preparing students for the workforce is just one of Governor Beshear's education initiatives. His new task force that includes Kenton County Superintendent Tim Hanner.
"You are no longer just doing high school. You are learning the skills, you are learning about yourself, the things you do well and the things you need to improve so that you have a plan to develop to secure success beyond just high school," said Tim Hanner, Kenton County Schools' superintendent.
The goal of this new task force is to have recommendations by the end of 2010 so Kentucky lawmakers can consider them by 2011.
