Jacob Howard is no stranger to the commercial trucking industry. His family has been in it since he can remember, so it was a natural move for him when he decided to go for his commercial driver’s license (CDL) and begin working, too. 

Like many at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shasta Slone wasn’t just facing the uncertainty of a global health crisis, but the prospect of unemployment, as well.

Nicholas Goodpaster has lived in Morgan County his entire life and doesn't plan on leaving, so while looking for a new job in 2022 he turned to the Gateway Kentucky Career Center in West Liberty for assistance in finding work close to home.

Jonathan Helton knew that training to become a lineman wouldn’t be easy, but he was ready to learn a trade that could lead to a full-time career.   

Jesse Pennington was a licensed electrician in Elliott County when the COVID-19 pandemic put a hold on most everything, including his job. It was 2020, and with pandemic protocols in place, Pennington wasn’t able to earn a living in the profession he expected to build a career from.

With a lot of work behind her and more still left to do, Hope Hatfield is turning things around. 

The EKCEP Board of Directors and the Eastern Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board (EKWIB) have named Becky Carnes-Miller as the next executive director for Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc.

Caitlin Crockett wasn’t planning for a career in nursing, but sometimes things have a way of working out. 

Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP) is one of several nonprofit organizations awarded funding from the Team Kentucky Nonprofit Assistance Fund in January. 

It’s early afternoon and rain is falling in Pineville as Tessa Caldwell enters the Bell-Whitley Kentucky Career Center. She is not far removed from an all-night shift at her job, but her smile widens as she starts to talk about the work she is doing. 

The Eastern Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board (EKWIB) elected new leadership for the new year as Sonya Bergman and Frank Dawahare are set to begin terms as chair and vice chair, respectively.

The rain sounded like water being dropped out of buckets onto the metal roof of Joan Reed’s house. It was 12:30 a.m. on July 28, 2022, and the downpour had continued nonstop since the day before.

Like many in the wake of the July 2022 flood in Eastern Kentucky, Emily McIntosh wanted to help. Her hometown of Whitesburg and many surrounding communities were devastated, and a lot of people were left in need.

Amelia Hoskins had a lot of work experience in 2020—mostly in the fast-food industry—when she decided it was time for a change, specifically to something she could do from home. And that’s where Teleworks USA came into the picture.  

Jessica Brewer is still in a good place, and things are looking up.

Forest Madden is standing on a street in Millstone, Ky., preparing to help remove a ceiling from a house that was damaged during widespread flooding on July 28. It's late October, nearly three months after the flood, and the crew he’s working with to provide cleanup services for flood survivors is keeping busy.  

Beth Gibson picks up a shovel and begins loading a wheelbarrow with dusty pieces of drywall left over from the demolition of a wall at the Carrie Community Center in her native Knott County. Just three months earlier the center had sustained severe damage during one of the worst flooding events in Eastern Kentucky’s history that killed nearly 50 people and damaged or destroyed more than 1,500 homes in multiple counties.

James Boggs is making progress in his recovery, and rebuilding his career has proven to be an important part of the process. 

After four years of incarceration, Billie Hutchinson was ready for a fresh start.