The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded a $3 million grant for training coal miners to EKCEP, Inc. and the West Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (WKWIB). The project will address the current coal industry workforce crisis.

Mines are unable to meet increasing demands for coal due to a shortage of miners in both skilled and entry-level positions. The shortage—estimated at around 3,500 positions—is largely the result of a decades-long trend of fewer young workers pursuing mining careers and incumbent workers nearing retirement.

The $3.025 million grant project will provide training for new and incumbent workers in high-demand skills using mining simulators, distance learning, and even a mobile classroom that can travel to work sites. The training delivery methods will target business-based demands in compact, certifiable, and replicable training segments.

The project will also create recruitment strategies and expedite employer-driven training. Recruitment and expedited training will create a pipeline for new miners to enter the industry quickly and easily, reducing the workforce shortage.

“Eastern Kentucky C.E.P. is pleased to be able to bring this additional money to eastern Kentucky to help the region’s largest industry improve its productivity and increase the number of high-paying jobs available to our workforce,” said Mable Duke, executive director of EKCEP, Inc. “The project’s emphasis on expedited training will allow both the coal industry and its workers to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the high demand for coal.”

Improving the ability of coal mining operations to meet current production demands should have a positive impact on the economic conditions within coal communities due to increased wages of local residents. Eastern Kentucky’s coal fields include the most economically distressed counties in the state and some of the most economically distressed counties in the nation.

In addition to the grant funds, the project will leverage approximately $7.1 million in other workforce and training program funds from EKCEP, WKWIB, and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), and from private donations and coal operators, including Alliance Coal, Charlais Coal, Peabody Coal, and James River Coal. The Center for Rural Development is also a participating partner, providing the distance-learning technology for elements of the training.

“By funding the project, the federal government is recognizing not only the coal industry’s need, but also the uniquely high level of coordination between the partners and the detailed planning that went into designing the project,” Duke said.

EKCEP will administer the project in the eastern Kentucky coal fields, and the WKWIB will administer the project in western Kentucky. In both areas, the project will involve close cooperation with KCTCS and its institutions, as well as the input and cooperation of many coal mining companies.

Employers and others interested in further information about the coal grant project in eastern Kentucky may contact EKCEP Business Solutions Manager Crawford Blakeman at 606-436-5751.