Continuing Education

The Continuing Education program of the Central Appalachian Region Education and Research Center (CARERC) is focused on increasing opportunities for employees and employers in Central Appalachia to receive occupational safety and health education and training. This training is intended to address the unique circumstances of work in Central Appalachia. Our mission is to provide quality, regionally-focused OSH CE opportunities accessible to Central Appalachian practitioners and to develop innovative courses, using the expertise and strengths of CARERC faculty and staff,
to address workplace injury and illness in Central Appalachia.

  • The UK CARERC, the newest of the ERCs, has been receiving funding only since 2012. The CARERC CE training incorporates each discipline of the Center as well as external partnerships. Academic faculty and staff are committed to active participation in the CE program either as members of the planning committee, as speakers for our monthly CARERC seminar, or as course directors. The overall goal remains on focusing our CE program on the unique occupational needs of workers in Central Appalachia and expanding access to CE course opportunities for employees and our students remains the driving focus of our work. The following objectives guide this core:

    1. Develop opportunities for professional education by enhancing existing CE Courses. We work to leverage the well-developed curriculum of existing CE providers, such as the OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Eastern Kentucky University and medical and nursing and mining CE providers at the University of Kentucky. OSHA TI EC was established in 2003 and primarily serves Federal Region IV, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Center draws upon a total of 17 instructors with more than 250 years of industry experience. OSHA TI EC offers 29 regular courses, examination preparation for the Certified Safety and Health Manager (CSHM), and an OSH Certificate Program for Correctional Safety Officers.

    2. Develop new continuing education courses and workshops. One objective of the CARERC is to develop unique course offerings based on the strengths and interests of the faculty in the center and the needs of the working population in the region.

    3. Establish an annual Central Appalachian OSH Symposium. We offer an annual symposium held in Central Appalachia which focuses on a topic of current and regional interest in the occupational safety and health community. The purpose of the symposium series is to better equip practitioners to protect the safety and health of workers.

    4. Use social media for informing the network of trainees, employees and employers of opportunities for continuing education and knowledge sharing among OSH professionals. Follow CARERC activities and announcements on our Facebook page.

    5. Leverage new technologies and instructional designs to offer CE training that is readily accessible to a broad ground of workers across industries and occupations

Is there a program you would like to see developed?
Please contact Ashley Rockwell (ashley.rockwell@uky.edu) or Donnie Stamper (donniejstamper@uky.edu) with your program idea!