Employment Services at KCEOC Help Tony Hodgkins Earn His CDL, Begin a Career in Transportation

Tony Hodgkins was at a crossroads in his professional life when he found himself unemployed and looking for his next job. He had tried his hand at auto sales, but when it didn’t work out, he decided to look into something that suited him better, namely a career in the transportation industry.  

Tony Hodgkins

Lacking a high school diploma or GED, Hodgkins said he assumed he was limited as to what sort of career he could pursue, but obtaining a commercial driver’s license would mean that he would always have a marketable skill to lean on and make a living. 

“It’s extremely hard to find a career if you don’t have a high school diploma or GED,” Hodgkins said. “I just figured if I get my CDL I could always have some kind of career.” 

While trying to figure out how to pay for CDL training, Hodgkins said a friend pointed him in the direction of the Kentucky Career Center JobSight at KCEOC Community Action Partnership, which can cover costs for training for eligible Knox County residents. He called and set up an appointment, and it wasn’t long before he began working with Career Advisor James Siler to determine the next steps for his job search.  

A partner in the Kentucky Career Center JobSight network, KCEOC provides Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) services under contract with Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP). Those services include programs for adults, dislocated workers, and youth between the ages of 18 and 24 who may need assistance honing skills such as résumé building or networking with local employers, or who need assistance being retrained or going to school. 

Siler determined Hodgkins’ career interests and developed an action plan, and in just a few weeks Hodgkins was ready to begin CDL training through the Career Development Center in nearby Laurel County.  

“He called me about a month out (from the start of the training) and said we got a spot; do you want to go?” Hodgkins said. “I was like, you ain’t got to tell me twice.” 

The training program included in-class instruction and a road test, and the career center at KCEOC covered both the cost of the training and provided funding for transportation costs to and from the classes in London. After 14 days of training, Hodgkins was ready to earn his CDL and get back to work. By December 2022, he had landed a position with Bolton’s Towing in Corbin. He has since moved on to work for Midwest Logistics, where he can continue to utilize his CDL and further his career. 

Hodgkins said he’s happy to be working steadily and able to support his family. Before he began a career in transportation he was house-hopping and didn’t have his own home. Without the assistance KCEOC and Siler provided, he added, he wouldn’t have been able to afford the training or know the right path to earn his CDL and begin working. 

“Now I have my own place in Corbin,” he said. “We have two cars, one for me and one for my lady. I can support my child we just had, and I can’t be more thankful for what they (KCEOC) did to help me.” 

Anyone in Eastern Kentucky in a similar situation of needing a new job and not knowing where to start should at least begin their search at their local Kentucky Career Center JobSight, Hodgkins added. The services there were a significant help for him, and could be for others, too. 
“I can’t stress enough to go and speak with them,” he added. “Even if you don’t walk out of there with a new career pathway, it’s worth the time to schedule an appointment and talk with them and see what they can do.” 

From the time Hodgkins set up an appointment with KCEOC to the time he began working comprised roughly three months, noted Siler. He added that Hodgkins was motivated to find employment and easy to work with, and that helped him get through training and land a job as quickly as he did.

“Every time that I had a question about what he was doing and how the process was going, he was very quick to respond and tell me how it was going,” Siler said. “He was really easy to work with as a client. I’m just glad that the training was successful as well as finding a job.

If you’re interested in applying for career and employment services, visit jobsight.org/locations to find your nearest Kentucky Career Center JobSight and contact a career advisor to get started. 

EKCEP, a nonprofit workforce development agency headquartered in Hazard, Ky., serves the citizens of 23 Appalachian coalfield counties. The agency provides an array of workforce development services and operates the Kentucky Career Center JobSight network of workforce centers, which provide access to more than a dozen state and federal programs that offer employment and training assistance for jobseekers and employers all under one roof. Learn more about us at http://www.ekcep.org, http://www.jobsight.org and http://www.facebook.com/ekcep.