The Eastern Kentucky C.E.P., Inc. (EKCEP) JobSight one-stop system was honored to be chosen as part of a survey of WIA promising practices conducted by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO). JobSight was one of only 13 one-stops selected from across the nation for the survey.

Katrina Ryan and Elisabeth Anderson of GAO visited EKCEP's central office, the American Woodmark dimension plant, and EKCEP's Pike County JobSight one-stop center on October 9 and 10. They conducted detailed interviews of several staff members, partners, and local employers to learn how JobSight has successfully integrated and streamlined services, engaged the business community, and increased employer involvement across its region.

At the American Woodmark plant near Hazard, Ryan and Anderson discussed the details of JobSight's ongoing partnership with American Woodmark with Keila Young, human resources manager for the facility. (For more information about the roles EKCEP and JobSight played in bringing the plant to eastern Kentucky, click here.)

At the Pikeville JobSight, Ryan and Anderson's interviews included: Mable Duke, executive director of EKCEP, and members of EKCEP's central office staff; James Thompson, Commissioner of the Kentucky Dept. for Employment Services; Bill Duke, state one-stop liaison for the Kentucky Dept. for Vocational Rehabilitation; Craig Hamilton, WIA case manager; Lucy Combs, On-the-Job Training coordinator; Crawford Blakeman, former Bell Co. JobSight manager and current EKCEP Business Solutions manager; and Greg Damron, co-owner of the Cheyenne Enterprises coal company in Pike County.

The GAO survey was performed at the request of Congress. Specifically, Sen. Kennedy, Rep. McKeon, and Rep. Boehner (Chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce), asked that GAO gather information about successes and promising practices under WIA. GAO staff may testify before Congress with the results of the survey and their testimony could impact both reauthorization and funding of WIA. A written report detailing the results of the survey will be published in the spring.

While clearly on a non-partisan, fact-finding mission, by the conclusion of their examination Ryan and Anderson were clearly impressed with what they had found in the mountains of eastern Kentucky.