Rebecca Bodkin has found her personal recipe for success: Job Corps training, mixed with a dash of Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program’s (EKCEP) “Let’s Go 2 Work” initiative.

Rebecca, 17, got to put her Job Corps Culinary Arts training into practice and gain some hands-on experience while working at the prestigious Sandstone Arches restaurant at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. She was one of 10 students from the Frenchburg Job Corps center who got the chance to gain real-world work experience—and earn some money—in six-week summer jobs provided through Let’s Go 2 Work.

Let’s Go 2 Work is funded by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars added to supplement the services provided under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The initiative will pump $6 million into eastern Kentucky’s economy by paying the summer wages of 3,000 16-24-year-olds in the 23 counties served by EKCEP,

In Menifee County, Let’s Go 2 Work services are provided by the Gateway Community Action Agency (GCAA), which also provides regular WIA services under contract with EKCEP. GCAA and the Frenchburg Job Corps center have a history of working together to prepare students to succeed in the workforce.

The Lets Go 2 Work job placement was a good fit for Rebecca, who had struggled to find her sense of direction in life.

“I was never good in school,” she said. Growing up in Covington and Florence, she felt just “couldn’t handle” being in a traditional school, but also found that homeschooling did not provide enough structure to keep her motivated to keep up with her studies.

“I realized I really needed to do something with my life,” she said, so at 16 she came to the Frenchburg Job Corps in the Menifee County woods for a fresh start. Though she came mainly to finish her high school diploma, she also took Culinary Arts as a vocational class and discovered she had a love for cooking.

“I really liked it,” she said. “Before I got in here, I couldn’t cook at all.”

Rebecca’s Job Corps instructors recognized her talent and, when GCAA asked them to recommend students for Lets Go 2 Work placements, they named Rebecca to work in the resort park’s prestigious kitchen under Chef Susan Licholat.

“I felt like that would be a great opportunity for me,” Rebecca said.

The kitchen was a lot different from the classroom, she said, and she quickly had to learn effective time management to keep up.

“It was fast paced. I did a lot of everything there. They trained me on everything,” Rebecca said, including working on hotlines and making salads and sandwiches.

Rebecca said that working with Chef Licholat helped her learn to keep a cool head under pressure by not getting “angry about things.” She also learned that she can achieve her goals if she is willing to make the effort.

“You can do things. You’ve just got to work for it,” she said.

Rebecca successfully completed her Let’s Go 2 Work placement and plans to move on soon to the Johnson and Wells Culinary School program in San Francisco for six to 12 months of self-paced study.

The school is an advanced Job Corps program for young people who want to make a career of the culinary arts, according to Douglas Hopwood, work-based learning coordinator for Frenchburg Job Corps.

“The majority probably go on to be chefs from there,” Hopwood said.

Rebecca said that after she finishes the program she wants to go to college and would one day like to go into business for herself.

“I want to own a pastry shop,” she said.

“This has been a great partnership with Gateway Community Action Agency,” Hopwood said. “Our main goal is to teach our students how to work,” he said.

Hopwood added that although Job Corps provides education on various trades such as Rebecca’s, the Let’s Go 2 Work placements give Job Corps students actual experience in the real “world of work” with working full-time jobs.

Karen Wright, WIA youth career advisor for GCAA, said her organization is glad to help young people like Rebecca.

“It is always rewarding as a career advisor to be able to help young people in the career they are interested in. It is even more rewarding when the job placement reinforces the desire to pursue that career. Through Let’s Go 2 Work, I was able to place Rebecca in such a position,” Wright said.

“Gateway WIA's partnership with the Frenchburg Job Corps has lead to many successful work experiences,” Wright said.

Job Corps has for years partnered with Gateway Community Action Agency (GCAA), one of EKCEP’s partners, to provide Workforce Investment Act (WIA) work experience placements to Job Corps participants. In those placements the young person’s salary is paid for six weeks by the WIA program, and the employer has an option to permanently hire the young person after the six weeks once complete. Gateway also provides training for career paths Job Corps does not offer, such as Certified Nurse Aide training.

For more information, visit the Web site at letsgo2work.org.