Community and technical colleges are at a crossroads in their history and mission in preparing individuals for the challenges of lifelong learning and the workforce of the future. Many industries are faced with the challenges of replacing an aging and retiring workforce, updating employee skill sets, and maintaining quality and production standards. Meeting the diverse needs of learners is the predominant challenge set before community and technical colleges. Utilization of new and innovative technologies and instructional practices to meet learner need is the essence of the Classroom "2020" challenge. Colleges must accommodate students to develop their "adaptive expertise" in order to change and adjust to technological advancements, apply academic skills, and develop improved employability skills and competencies. This article discusses the various initiatives that the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) is undertaking to meet the needs of students and business and industry in a teaching and learning environment to "reduce the learning cycle" in both traditional education and workforce development. These initiatives allow for narrowing the gap between a beginning employee and a highly productive employee or a beginning student and a higher performing student. In short, KCTCS is applying technology to the reduction of training time to maximize instructional time and production capability as a teaching and learning tool.