eKART Provides Needed Step Toward Employment for Chad’s Hope Resident Jim Tanner

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.

“In the process, I disrespected everyone I loved and they disowned me,” he says. “I had nobody.”

In 2018, Tanner finally hit a breaking point when his addiction led to an arrest and criminal charge. As part of the resolution of his case, he was presented the option of going to prison or to a rehabilitation center. Tanner says he’d been to short-term outpatient rehab before, but he knew he needed to make a change.

“I wanted to see what it was about,” Tanner says about a long-term rehab option. “At that point in time I was ready for a change anyway. I knew the lifestyle I was living wasn’t right, wasn’t healthy.”

He opted for that change and was serious about it, signing up for a long-term stint at Chad’s Hope in Clay County, Ky., a faith-based, residential recovery care program for substance-addicted men. And it was during his time at Chad’s Hope that Tanner first learned about a program called eKART that could help him begin a new career while he’s also tackling his addiction.

eKART (Eastern Kentucky Addiction Recovery and Training) is an initiative of Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP), Inc., that works with local drug courts and other agencies to bridge the gulf between recovery and productive participation in the workforce by providing individuals with valuable career, training, and supportive services, while actively cultivating transformational job opportunities. It aims to help former addicts get back on their feet with job trainings and placements.

Tanner says he was interested in learning welding, and applied for a training program that would teach him welding techniques and skills that he could use to build a career. With help from Barbara Smith, an eKART job entry and retention support specialist, Tanner entered the program in early 2020 and began working toward an industry-recognized certification.

eKART covered the entire cost of Tanner’s training, along with the cost of materials he would need during the course of the program, such as hoods, coats, gloves, and safety glasses. The class and the support he received from eKART was a blessing, Tanner says, even if it was one he’d never envisioned for himself.

“I never thought I’d be in school again,” he says. “Here I am, getting an education and pumped about it. I’m going to use it to my advantage, and put some bread on the table.”

Tanner began the welding class in September 2020, and has since earned that certification and is considering what may be available to him in the job market. In the meantime, he’s working as an intern at Chad’s Hope and continuing to maintain his sobriety and gaining experience that he can add to his résumé for future jobs.

Getting prepared for a new career is an important step forward, notes Smith, who also provided support for additional individuals from Chad’s Hope. Having access to the assistance eKART provides and resulting career opportunities can be an important aspect of successful recovery.

“This class gave Jim and his peers a vision for a new career and a better future,” Smith says. “This training has helped prepare them for an exciting successful career.”

Tanner says after the time he’s spent at Chad’s Hope and learning new skills he can apply to a job that he’s optimistic for the future and currently planning to continue his education.

“Like I said, I never thought I’d be in school. It’s given me the motivation to continue to do some more schooling, that’s for sure,” he says.

Tanner credits his faith with helping turn his addiction around and eKART with helping expand his opportunities beyond sobriety. It’s a program he’d recommend to anyone who finds themselves in a similar position and needing a step up into a potential career field.

“I thought I’d never amount to anything. It was just too complicated,” he says. “But if you just give it a chance, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you.”

To learn more about eKART and available services, visit ekcep.org/ekart.

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.