How a Barbourville Couple Discovered Their Trucking Careers with EKCEP and the Kentucky Career Center

For Abigail and Tracy Fee, the dream of becoming truck drivers and hitting the open road together seemed distant. Both were facing unemployment and financial struggles, unsure of how to even begin the journey toward obtaining their Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs). But thanks to the support of Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program’s network of Kentucky Career Centers, their dream became a reality.

“We were honestly so broke it was unreal,” Abigail recalled.

Abigail & Tracy Fee

The couple knew they needed a career change, but the cost of CDL training felt impossible. A friend recommended the Kentucky Career Center at KCEOC Community Action Partnership in Barbourville. KCEOC is part of the Kentucky Career Center network and provides Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) services in Knox County under contract with EKCEP. These programs assist people with career skills such as résumé building, networking, retraining, and continuing education.

Walking into the career center, the Fees were met with support and guidance. “It was so easy, it was unreal!” Abigail said.

Their career advisor, Jacqueline Pillay, helped enroll them for services, assessed their career plans, and quickly connected them with their needed resources. Within an hour, they had secured financial assistance through EKCEP to cover the cost of commercial driving school.

“We kept thinking they would tell us they couldn’t help us,” Abigail admitted.

Tracy Fee, who had been working in construction, agreed that obtaining assistance through the career center was “very easy.”

“They had us in truck driving school three weeks after we enrolled,” he said.

The Fees enrolled at the Career Development Center in London, Kentucky, where they received

comprehensive CDL training. This training equipped them with the knowledge and skills to safely operate commercial vehicles and embark on their new careers.

“Driving a truck has changed our lives in more ways than you could imagine,” said Abigail, adding that they now enjoy the freedom and flexibility of the open road, working together as a team.

“We tell all our friends they need to get their CDL,” Abigail said, and Tracy agreed, recommending the Kentucky Career Center to several friends who have since become truck drivers.

“Everyone was so kind, and we would have never been able to get our CDL without them," Abigail said.”

The Kentucky Career Center helped us get on our feet and have a career. Thank y’all for making our dreams come true.”

If you live in Eastern Kentucky and are interested in applying for career and employment services, visit jobsight.org/locations to find your nearest Kentucky Career Center and contact a career advisor to get started.

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 ekcep.org.