EKCEP Awarded $2 Million in Appalachian Regional Commission POWER Funds to Enhance Career Development Services for High School Students in Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP) has been awarded a $2 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to implement the Career Pathfinder Network, a new and innovative pilot program that will enhance career development services for students enrolled in five high schools.
Funding for the project comes from ARC’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) initiative, which provides funding for projects within Appalachian communities affected by job losses in coal mining and related industries.
“We are thrilled to receive this critical funding and could not be more appreciative of ARC’s willingness to support this project,” said Rebecca Carnes-Miller, executive director of EKCEP. “This funding will ensure that EKCEP can provide much-needed career development services to high school students in our region and help them connect with local career and employment opportunities.”
“This grant will better prepare students in southeastern Kentucky for the workforce by connecting them to career counselors who can help lead and direct them. I applaud EKCEP for concentrating on our upcoming leaders, and ensuring they have a strong start to a career after they graduate,” said Congressman Hal Rogers, Dean of the House.
The Career Pathfinder Network will function as a pilot program under EKCEP’s Prosper Appalachia youth services initiative. Beginning in the first quarter of 2025, dedicated career development specialists will be placed within participating high schools. These specialists will work directly with eligible students to provide personalized career advising services and facilitate connections with various career and employment opportunities, including work experience, internships, and pre-apprenticeship activities.
This innovative program also leverages EKCEP’s employer connections and the latest technology to ensure students are both aware of and prepared for local career opportunities. It is also a replicable model that can help strengthen Kentucky’s workforce, increase labor force participation, and address employment gaps.
“Kentucky’s labor force participation rate has been on the decline for 20 years, but we think that innovative programs like this one can help ensure more Kentuckians can go to work within the state,” said Carnes-Miller. “We believe that high school-aged students should have enhanced opportunities to explore and understand available career paths within their local communities, and have a better chance at finding viable career paths close to home.”
The Career Pathfinder Network will serve 400 students over the course of the two-year grant period. The program will be available to juniors and seniors across five high schools.
In addition to the project’s partner schools, EKCEP is collaborating with KCEOC Community Action Partnership, LKLP Community Action Council, and Middle Kentucky Community Action Agency to hire and manage career specialists who will facilitate direct services for students.
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.
