At a table, there were three cakes.

One was in Western’s colors topped with a Big Red and the Cherry Hall cupola.

The other cake was decorated with blue and yellow colors and the Kentucky sun logo of Bowling Green Technical College.

In the center was a cake in blue and red frosting – a visual representation of their partnership.

Officials from Western and the BGTC signed an agreement Monday to form the Training Alliance of Southern Kentucky.

Through this partnership, TASK will pool resources from both schools to provide professional and technical training for companies in the area.

Jack Thomas, president and chief executive officer of BCTS, said TASK will introduce a one-stop source for companies’ training needs.

“If you look at the global business pressures, we have to do things more efficiently and more effectively if we are going to remain competitive,” he said.

Companies currently go to Western for professional development training, and to BGTC for technical training.

Through TASK, companies can create customized training programs from a broader selection of specialized areas, Thomas said. Those areas include industrial and engineering technology, team building, welding, tool and die training, information technology and quality assurance.

Audrey Anderson, interim dean for the Division of Extended Learning and Outreach at Western, said TASK will enable both institutions to make the process of getting training from either school easier.

It also shows the importance of continuous training to help the area’s economic and workforce development, she said.

“You can’t remain complacent if you want to be competitive,” she said. “In today’s world, with changes happening so continually and so quickly, one can’t question the need of training.”

Larry Hollon, president of Holistic Outlook Inc., a management consulting company, said the partnership has a potential to get more customers interested in professional and technical training.

He said he hopes it produces more consulting opportunities for him.

“The more you can offer your customer, the more often they will buy something from you,” he said.

Provost Barbara Burch said TASK may have some potential opportunities for students to have hands-on experience by participating in a team that is facilitating training sessions for different companies.

“Students will have the opportunity to be on a team that will address real problems that are important to business and industry,” she said.

Reach Mai Hoang at [email protected].