Candace Smith had just completed a year of treatment at Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) in Louisa and she knew a job needed to be her next step. It was June and the country was only a few months into a global pandemic, but she was ready to hit the ground running.

Like many Eastern Kentuckians, coal mining had been Pike County native Aaron Akers’ main source of income since he entered the workforce straight out of high school. 

“Since high school, I went underground to work, and I’ve been laid off several times, hours cut back, insurance cut, having a hard time getting paydays,” Akers explains.

Koree Stewart was between jobs in 2019 when he decided to apply to begin training at the east Kentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute (eKAMI) in Johnson County. It was a decision, he says, that he never planned but has since presented him with an opportunity to not only land a job, but take a first step onto a viable career path.

Being pursued for a job was a foreign concept to Lawrence Countian John Stapleton after working in the coal industry for more than a decade—especially when multiple employers at once were calling him to come work for them.

Jesse Hubbard spent more than two decades mining coal underground in Eastern Kentucky. But that career came to a sudden halt in 2019 when Hubbard’s most recent job as a section foreman for Rock Hampton Energy ended as a result of the coal industry’s continuing downturn.

Justin Marcum just completed a long work day outside as he returns to the Martin County Road and Bridge Department near Inez. He’s worked for the county since June as a full-time operator.

Hope, for many, has been the key to their success. Without it, there would have been no reason to keep trying even when things seemed to be falling apart around them. For one Floyd Countian, after years of struggle with substance use issues a new initiative in his region brought hope back to his life and for his future.

“Eastern Kentucky has had a history of overcoming whatever hardship is thrown at us—and we think that now is no different.”

“Eastern Kentucky has had a history of overcoming whatever hardship is thrown at us—and we think that now is no different.”

“Here I am now with like three monitors and a big desk,” Ramey says, laughing about how much her life and home have changed since she took a teleworking job with BroadPath, a customer service company specializing in healthcare needs, thanks in big part to Teleworks USA.

“The EKYWorks 2.0 workforce study will ensure we have the most current and unique data necessary for our job recruitment toolbox as the region’s economic and workforce landscape continues to shift toward the future,” said One East Kentucky president and CEO Chuck Sexton.

If you live within the 23-county Eastern Kentucky workforce area, you should now call, toll-free, 1-888-297-7054 for any and all UI questions and filing assistance, or workforce services and training questions.

After more than a decade in the coal industry, Lawrence Countian Kennedy Marcum never thought he would utter such blasphemous words.

For one group of Eastern Kentuckians, the holiday season and New Year started off with new beginnings as 19 students were recognized during a ceremony on Friday, December 20 for completing the Lineman & Fiber Optics Training course.