Eastern Kentucky University and the Hyster-Yale Materials Handling in Berea today announced a partnership that will provide Hyster-Yale employees the opportunity to further their education through their employee benefits package at Eastern Kentucky University with the EKU Advantage.
As part of the EKU Advantage, Hyster-Yale will receive a 25 percent discount on EKU on-campus or online tuition, locked-in tuition for two years, free books for all undergraduates, as well as a 20 percent discount on EKU Workforce Development courses. Employees can also utilize Hyster-Yale’s tuition reimbursement program. Leveraging benefits from both EKU and Hyster-Yale, employees will be able to complete their degrees with little to no out-of-pocket expense.
“Some of the world’s best businesses continually invest in their employees, and we are proud to partner with Hyster-Yale Group to help with their employee investment by providing them with a world-class education at EKU,” said EKU President Dr. David McFaddin. “Corporate partnerships are a key part of the EKU Advantage, and we are excited to provide Hyster-Yale employees with the opportunity to grow to improve their company.”
Russ Asher, Plant Manager at Hyster-Yale, said educational partnerships like those available through the EKU Advantage are vital to companies who are competing in an ever-evolving market where continuous innovation and education are keys to success.
“This allows us to help define the shape of the future workforce by having students ready to engage in a fast-paced environment with the skills needed to compete in the global market,” Asher said.
Rodney Wilson, an EKU alumnus (‘89) and long-time employee of Hyster-Yale, is excited about the partnership with Eastern. Wilson said his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology was vital to the success of his career at Hyster-Yale, where he started working as a student in the late 1980s, and where he was made a full-time employment offer in 1989, the day after he graduated from EKU.
“The partnership that Hyster-Yale has with EKU allows us to continue the influence on our ever-changing skills requirements. Now, more than ever, we are evolving what the workforce of the future will look like,” Wilson said. “Not only from the social aspect of generational changes, but the skills requirements based on the escalation of IIoT, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Automation, and Innovation. We are in the middle of a rapidly changing manufacturing environment. This partnership will help us align, and ensure we have the right skill sets available for our future workforce.”
The partnership will be in place for employees to enroll in Fall 2021.
Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. is a leading, globally integrated, full-line lift truck manufacturer offering a broad array of solutions aimed at meeting the specific materials handling needs of customers’ applications.
- Serving the materials handling industry for over 90 years
- Strong team of long-term executives and managers with global experience
- 21 manufacturing operations in 12 countries
One of Hyster-Yale’s manufacturing hubs is in neighboring Berea, Ky. In 2019 Hyster-Yale broke ground on a 160,000 square foot expansion of its facility on Menelaus Road in Berea, significantly increasing the size of the operation and manufacturing capacity. The original facility opened in 1973. The consolidated Hyster-Yale business has since become an international corporation, shipping more than 100,000 units in 2018.