Joseph Free has never set foot in an underground coal mine, much less commanded a continuous mining machine's rows of spinning metal teeth as they tear into a wall of coal.

But Free and more than 200 other students from Belfry and Pike County Central high schools are getting the chance to see what it would be like to operate such a crucial piece of coal-mining machinery thanks to the Success Xpress, a mobile training facility built into a 53-foot truck trailer.

On Feb. 12, the Success Xpress began a two-week stay at the Belfry Area Technology Center, where it will provide students access to high-quality training in key coal mining skills using the industry's most advanced simulators and training equipment.

After donning the Success Xpress' virtual reality headset, Free experienced the computer-generated sights and sounds of an underground coal mine as he operated a simulated continuous mining machine. Other students aboard the Success Xpress watched Free's progress on a 40-inch flat-screen display as they awaited their turn.

Free, who has been considering a career in underground mining, said the experience was an eye-opening one.

"It was really fun-just like the real thing," said Free, a 17-year-old Belfry High School senior. "It gives you early training and gives you an idea what mining would be like in real life."

The Success Xpress is owned and operated by the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP), Inc., a nonprofit agency that administers workforce development programs in eastern Kentucky.

The Success Xpress can be driven to remote coal mines, colleges, schools, or any other location in eastern Kentucky where mining training is needed. This mobility allows students like those at the Belfry center to begin actively preparing for mining careers while in high school. It also allows working miners to train on the Success Xpress for certifications in essential high-skill positions (mine electricians, METs, equipment operators, foremen, etc.) at their work sites, reducing the impact of training on their companies' productivity.

By using the Success Xpress' distance learning technology, mining courses can be taught by highly qualified instructors at remote locations and transmitted to students in the mobile classroom. Remote-controlled cameras in the classroom allow the class to interact with the remote instructor in real time. The Success Xpress classroom also includes wireless connectivity that provides internet access at nine computer workstations.

While working with the region's coal operators is the Success Xpress' top priority, working with high school students who already are planning for careers in coal is also a key part of the Success Xpress' mission to help the coal industry replenish its dwindling and aging workforce and capitalize on the increase in the demand for coal in recent years, according to David Ruth, EKCEP Coal Mining Services coordinator.

"We're pleased to partner with the Belfry Area Technology Center to provide its students access to the Success Xpress' state-of-the-art technology," Ruth said. "These students are the future of coal mining in our area, and it is incumbent upon us to bring training to them that will prepare them to become safe and productive miners."

Each student at the center will get a chance to spend about two hours at the controls of the Success Xpress' continuous mining machine simulator over the next two weeks.

Annette Ward, principal of the Belfry Area Technology Center, said the students earn high school credit for classes taken there and receive certificates for programs they complete. She said the center already has a "coal academy" in which students learn about the mining industry and receive dual credit from their high school and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) when they complete the program.

"I wanted the kids to be able to see and experience the Success Xpress' virtual reality equipment and the computer simulation program," Ward said. "It really ties into our curriculum and what we've initiated with our coal academy.

"A lot of our kids are visual, hands-on learners," she continued, "and the Success Xpress gives the kids that visual activity so they can see exactly how these mining processes work."

In addition to its state-of-the-art computer classroom and three-dimensional mining simulator, the Success Xpress also features a hands-on lab area with electrical training panels exactly like those on actual mining equipment.

Top officials from Booth Energy-a major eastern Kentucky coal group-toured the Success Xpress as it began its stay in Belfry. Dennis Hatfield, president of Booth Energy, said he was particularly impressed by the onboard electrical training panels.

"This looks like something that can benefit our group, especially in maintenance training," Hatfield said. "It would certainly help us, and would be part of the tools to get well-trained, experienced coal miners."

Based in Hazard, EKCEP administers government employment and training programs and employer services in 23 rural mountain counties, including the entire eastern Kentucky coalfields. EKCEP also administers the JobSight network of workforce centers, which provide access to a dozen government workforce programs for job seekers and employers.

The Success Xpress makes the best possible mining training and instruction accessible at any location in the EKCEP service area, according to Crawford Blakeman, EKCEP Business Solutions manager.

"Wherever there's a need at a coal mine for more skilled and better trained miners, Success Xpress will be ready to literally drive that training to their front door," Blakeman said. "Being able to present this training in such a mobile way allows workers to train for advancement more efficiently with much less impact on company productivity." (Click here to read a story about a Pike County miner's experience on the Success Xpress during its stay in Belfry.)

Since the Success Xpress mobile training facility began operations in late December 2006, it has successfully brought high-tech mining training to working miners and students in Harlan, Martin, Perry, Pike and Letcher counties. (Click here for comments from others on how the Success Xpress is being received in various locations in eastern Kentucky.)

EKCEP Executive Director Mable Duke said the expedited training offered aboard Success Xpress will increase the number of high-paying jobs available to the region's workforce, allowing both the coal industry and its workers to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the high demand for coal.

"The coal industry has indicated time and again that it needs more trained, skilled miners to handle today's increased production demands," Duke said. "Success Xpress allows EKCEP to help address that need, and its mobility allows us to bring specialized training to the region's miners in a way that has never been seen before.

"Success Xpress will always be on tour, on time, and on target with needed training for eastern Kentucky's coal industry," Duke said. "Thanks to this innovative new tool, we're going to be training coal miners today for Kentucky's future."

The Success Xpress was created with a portion of EKCEP’s share of a $3.1 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant was awarded to EKCEP and the West Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (WKWIB) in December 2005 to train new miners and upgrade the skills of experienced miners in the state’s eastern and western coalfields. The grant was awarded under the President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative, as implemented by the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

In pursuing the grant funds, EKCEP and WKWIB leveraged approximately $7.1 million in other workforce and training funds from a variety of sources, including: EKCEP Workforce Investment Act (WIA) formula funds, WKWIB WIA formula funds, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), and coal operators, including Alliance Coal, Charlais Coal, Peabody Coal, and James River Coal. Among these leveraged funds was a $250,000 allocation from Governor Ernie Fletcher’s Reserve Fund of the federal WIA, presented to EKCEP by Fletcher in March 2005.

The Center for Rural Development is also a participating partner, designing and coordinating the Success Xpress’ distance-learning technology.

For additional information on booking the Success Xpress for a visit to a mining operation, high school, vocational and technical school, or any other location, contact Crawford Blakeman at 606-436-5751.