Youth placements averaging more than $12 per hour, generating nearly $12 million in annual wages for early entrants into the workforce
EKCEP is putting the goals of the Kentucky General Assembly’s Putting Young Kentuckians to Work (PYKTW) initiative into action by helping students stay connected to the workforce before they ever become disconnected. Through the program to date, more than 600 young people in Eastern Kentucky have already moved into jobs earning over $12 an hour, building a strong workforce pipeline.
The PYKTW initiative is designed to address the challenge of disconnected youth by giving young people access to paid work experience, career training, and job placement support, among other career services. In Eastern Kentucky, EKCEP and its Community Action partners are using resources to reach students early in an effort to prevent them from becoming disconnected in the first place. Since August 2024, more than 1,000 high school students have participated in paid internships through the program.
“These numbers represent real opportunities for young people in our region,” said EKCEP Executive Director Becky Carnes-Miller. “For many participants, this is their first job and their first step into a career. We are grateful to the legislature for making this possible and for its continued commitment to strengthening Kentucky’s workforce.”
Michael Gritton of KentuckianaWorks and Myra Wilson of the Cumberlands Workforce Development Board presented to the General Assembly’s Interim Joint Committee on Economic Development and Workforce Investment on Nov. 21, providing an update on the state’s overall progress with the initiative. Their presentation highlighted work supported through the legislature’s investment, which enabled all 10 of Kentucky’s workforce development boards to build youth programs that connect young people to meaningful work experiences.
As a result of that investment, more than 600 students in the EKCEP area have now transitioned into full employment, earning an average of more than $12 per hour—about 170 percent of the federal minimum wage.
“Even using a conservative estimate, these early job placements now represent approximately $12 million in annual wages for our young people,” Carnes-Miller said. “These are real paychecks and real opportunities that help students take their first steps into the workforce. We want more of our young people to see a future here in Eastern Kentucky.”
EKCEP’s program design is especially important because it connects students to real work experience before graduation, helping them build confidence, develop essential workplace skills, and envision a future within their home communities. The approach also gives employers early access to emerging talent, strengthening the long-term workforce pipeline in Eastern Kentucky.
The progress achieved so far shows what is possible when regional partners work together and invest in young people, and EKCEP is committed to building on this momentum to strengthen the workforce of Eastern Kentucky.
Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing, advancing, and expanding the workforce of Eastern Kentucky. Through its network of Kentucky Career Center offices across 23 counties, EKCEP connects jobseekers with sustainable careers, assists employers in building a strong talent pipeline, and drives regional economic development through innovative workforce solutions and strategic partnerships. Learn more at ekcep.org.