In the fall of 2021 Nathaniel Smith was looking to leverage his training in software development into steady employment, and he hoped to begin his career without having to leave his native Pike County. He knew it wasn’t going to be an easy search at first, but thanks to a new internship program called One Up, he was able to accomplish both of his goals.

Darrell Estep was 20 years old, had recently completed rehab, and ready for a new start with a new job.

Less than a year after Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP) began its One Up internship program for college students or recent graduates, employers in the region are gaining new workers and interns are transitioning to full-time employment.

Tanner Waugh was at a bit of a crossroads. It was June 2021 and he was homeless and struggling to find a new job.

Building a career in the arts was something that Renee Anderson had planned for, having studied art and design with a minor in art entrepreneurship at Morehead State University. So when she learned about a paid internship program called One Up that could lead to a job in arts administration, it seemed like a natural step to take.

Chase Williams likes working outdoors and with his hands, so it seemed like a natural step in spring of 2020 when an opportunity came along to train for a career as a lineman.

It was October 2020 in Morgan County, Ky., Colby Stahley had just heard about Teleworks USA for the first time, and he thought that maybe the concept of working from home was just right for him and his situation.

Angela Mills had been working steadily as a receptionist when in 2019 she was laid off from her position and forced to rely on unemployment insurance benefits to help pay the bills. While losing one’s job might introduce a certain amount of anxiety, Mills saw it as an opportunity to take a step on a new career path with help from KCEOC Kentucky Career Center JobSight.

Patti White had spent more than a decade working in the restaurant industry before the COVID-19 pandemic brought dining out to a sudden halt and left her drawing unemployment to help make ends meet. The Perry County native wasn’t necessarily looking for a career change when COVID hit, but thanks to help from eKART she not only has a new job, but also plans for a new career.

Tennessee native Dustin Bryant has spent the last two decades going down a dark and dangerous road.

“Back at home I was more or less on heavy drugs like meth and shooting pills,” Bryant says through crackling phone reception. “I’d been doing it ever since I was 15 years old, and I’m 35 now.”

Jim Tanner knows that progress is going to be a key in his success battling addiction, and he’s already made quite a lot of it. Tanner, a native of Crossville, Tn., made his first step in that progression with a decision to take a real shot at tackling an addiction that he says, along with depression, caused him to alienate those around him.

For more than 15 years, Brian Fisher was driving blindly through life. “I’d been using drugs since 2001 and I’ve always just been on that easy street,” Fisher explains during a socially-distanced interview.  

Tami Booher had been working for the Elliott County Ambulance Service for more than two years when she learned her position had been discontinued and she would be laid off in the summer of 2020. While it wasn’t welcome news, it wouldn’t be long before she was back to work, thanks to the assistance she received from Teleworks USA.

Job prospects in Perry Countian Chase Moore’s hometown were so lacking when he entered the job market right out of high school that he didn’t blink an eye when he took a job that he knew wasn’t likely to last.

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.