Colonial Claims, EKCEP Bring New Training Opportunity to the Mountains with Employment for Graduating Participants
After being hit this year with devastating floods and winter storms, many Eastern Kentuckians are looking for any possible way to help other victims of natural disasters. A new internship through the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP), Inc., with Colonial Claims brings that opportunity—along with the possibility of a new career—to the region.
Colonial Claims, a nationwide insurance claims adjuster company, has partnered with EKCEP to bring a six-month, remote internship program to Eastern Kentucky. This program will assist up to 50 participants become work-from-home insurance claims adjusters who will work with multiple customers, both big and small, across the country who have experienced things like property damage due to storms much like what the region has been suffering through this year.
EKCEP will provide a weekly, $400 stipend to all WIOA eligible participants to assist with living costs during the course of the internship. Upon successful completion of the course curriculum provided by Colonial Claims, Founder and Board Chairman Doug Branham will offer employment for those who have completed the internship and met all benchmarks. The anticipated starting salary will be $35,000 a year, and participants will come out of the program with skills applicable to a multi-billion dollar industry, he said.
“The world changed with COVID, and none more so than the insurance industry,” Branham said. “Now, work from home has permeated the industry. Large insurance carriers are shutting their brick-and-mortar offices to eliminate costs and welcoming their employees to work from home in a remote atmosphere.”
Branham, a native of Pike County, explained that due to this shift to remote work, it’s possible for his company, which already has offices in Lexington, Ky., and Florida, to expand their workforce to the Eastern Kentucky coalfields without their adjusters having to leave home.
“Colonial has a long history of bringing jobs to Eastern Kentucky,” Branham added. “We are committed to this region—always have been and always will be—to bringing lifetime, bulletproof jobs to our mountain people.”
The Colonial Claims-led internship and training program will provide interns the necessities to participate in the remote training program with training materials and software.
The program will prepare interns to receive specialized training and certifications, including:
· A NFIP/Flood Certification trainee (FCN);
· Partial Associate’s In Claims (AIC) courses
Some course work toward AIC during internship program;
· Partial Associate’s in National Flood Insurance (ANFI)
Some course work toward ANFI during internship program;
· Adjusting skills in flood, hail, and wind;
· Xactimate Certification;
· Insurance licenses for multiple states.
The full employer-led internship and training program carries a value of more than $350,000, according to Colonial Claims leadership, but participants who qualify and are selected will have an opportunity to participate at no cost thanks to EKCEP and Colonial’s new partnership.
“We’re thrilled to be able to bring such a thriving industry to our mountains without our people having to leave the region,” said Michael Cornett, EKCEP deputy director for employer engagement and program operations. “According to Colonial Claims, this partnership brings the potential of more than $1.7 million in new wages to Eastern Kentucky annually. Opportunities like these don't come around very often.”
“Remote work is expanding and transforming our region, and we think—and hope—it’s just up from here,” Cornett added.
To apply for the program today, go to ekcep.org/colonial and fill out the application there. Space is limited to 50 seats so make sure and apply TODAY. Individuals fluent in both English and Spanish are encouraged to apply.
You or your loved one may be eligible for assistance with paying for anything required for the internship through EKCEP and the Kentucky Career Center JobSight network of workforce centers.
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.
