Fulton Academy for Construction Education, FACE, celebration held

April 01, 2025

A ribbon cutting ceremony was conducted by the Hickman Chamber of Commerce March 26, for the new FACE facility, Fulton Academy for Construction Education, located in Hickman.

Speakers at a luncheon preceding the ribbon cutting and tour of the facility, included Fulton County Judge/Executive Jim Martin, Fulton-Hickman County Economic Development Partnership President Mark Welch, Fulton County Jailer Steven Williams and West Kentucky Workforce Business Liaison Mary Anne Medlock.

The new training center was funded by two grants and will provide hands-on and classroom training for Fulton County Detention Center inmates in areas such as OSHA Safety Standards, carpentry and forklift certification..

Fulton County Fiscal Court, through the USDA Rural Partners Network has received two workforce development grants to expand these career training opportunities for people detained in the Fulton County Detention Center, as he Fiscal Court will provide local matches to both grants.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, announced a $268,655 Rural Business Development Grant in August for the project, to renovate a former recycling facility into the Fulton Academy for Construction Education, to provide accredited training programs and will develop skills-based training for individuals housed at the Fulton County Detention Center.

In September, Fulton-Hickman Counties Economic Development Partnership was notified that it would receive a $100,000 Workforce Invest Grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). With those funds, the Fulton County Detention Center became the newest NCCER-accredited facility in Kentucky. NCCER is a recognized standard for training, assessment, certification, and career development in the construction industry.

"The Fulton County Detention Center exists not to just incarcerate individuals, but to provide rehabilitation opportunities so they can re-enter society as productive individuals with work skill credentials needed in the marketplace," said Fulton County Judge Executive Martin. “Our goal with this project has been to create a modern training space that provides the certifications so these individuals, upon release, can earn an income conducive to a desired quality of life. With funding for this project, we can do just that."

"I appreciate the Fulton County Detention Center, Fulton-Hickman Economic Development Partnership and Community Ventures working with the Rural Partners Network to make this possible. I also appreciate our funding partners USDA Rural Development and the Tennessee Valley Authority for their valued investments; AGC of Western Kentucky, National Center for Construction, and the West Kentucky Educational Cooperative (Fulton County Adult Education) for their commitment to train these individuals; and the West Kentucky Workforce Board for helping us to accomplish this project," Judge Martin said.