[July 2008]

Most every major automated operation at a coal mine, tipple, or preparation plant relies upon the use of Programmable Logic Controllers, or PLCs.
 
Computer-operated PLCs run intricate networks of sensors, switches, solenoids, and motors that control and monitor miles of belt lines as they transport coal from deep within underground mines to the surface. They also start belt drives, operate functions on continuous mining machines, and run rail motor systems inside those underground mines.
 
Now, eastern Kentucky miners can safely train to program PLCs and perform these essential technical tasks thanks to the Success Xpress, a mobile training facility built into a 53-foot truck trailer.
 
The Success Xpress features two new state-of-the-art Amatrol PLC training modules, along with a computerized three-dimensional continuous mining machine simulator, and a hands-on lab area with electrical training panels exactly like those on a real continuous mining machine.
 
Success Xpress is owned and operated by the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP), a nonprofit agency that administers workforce development programs throughout eastern Kentucky.
 
Success Xpress' high-tech simulator and electrical panels have trained hundreds of miners and mine electricians across eastern Kentucky since the facility’s launch in January 2007. But numerous coal operators told EKCEP they wanted a way to train miners to operate PLC-driven systems, according to Crawford Blakeman, EKCEP Business Solutions manager.
 
“We listened to those needs, and we have delivered,” Blakeman said. “Having these PLC training modules available for use at our region’s mines will make the Success Xpress an even more valuable resource than before.”
 
In addition, Blakeman said Success Xpress now features a new and extensive computer-based basic electrical training curriculum for use on the truck’s nine onboard computer stations.
 
“We feel that it was very important to have upgraded the Success Xpress in the ways that coal companies asked us to,” he said. “By doing so, we’re meeting even more of the industry’s exact workforce needs, and helping train a generation of safer, more skilled miners.”
 
Danny Sorrells, Human Resources director for James River Coal’s Blue Diamond and Leeco coal operations in Perry, Knott and Leslie counties, agreed.
 
In fact, miners at Blue Diamond and Leeco mines in Perry County who recently used the Success Xpress’ PLC trainers have said they liked the experience, Sorrells said.
 
“It’s great that the PLC panels on the Success Xpress are available for us and other mines in the area,” he said.
 
The Success Xpress can be driven to remote coal mines, colleges, high schools, or any other location where training is needed.
 
This mobility allows working miners to train on the Success Xpress for certifications in high-skill positions (mine electricians, METs, equipment operators, foremen, etc.) at their work sites, reducing the impact of training on their companies’ productivity. It also allows high school students who are considering careers in coal to get a firsthand look at the high-tech nature of modern mining. Use of the Success Xpress is offered at little or no cost to interested coal operations.
 
Success Xpress fills a major role in EKCEP’s ongoing efforts to help the state’s largest industry replenish its dwindling and aging workforce, and upgrade the skills of its current workforce, according to EKCEP Executive Director Jeff Whitehead.
 
“The coal industry has indicated time and again that is needs trained, skilled miners,” Whitehead said. “Success Xpress allows EKCEP to help address that need, and its mobility allows us to bring specialized training directly to the region’s miners and students regardless of location.”
 
Based in Hazard, EKCEP administers government employment and training programs and employer services in 23 rural mountain counties, including the entire eastern Kentucky coalfields region.
 
EKCEP also administers the JobSight network of workforce centers, which provide access to a dozen government workforce programs for job seekers and employers through a single location.
 
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.

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Success Xpress is a key component in EKCEP’s national award-winning Coal Services Program, which employs a variety of services to help address the workforce needs of eastern Kentucky’s coal industry. EKCEP’s Coal Services Program was the nationwide winner of the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2007 Recognition of Excellence Award for “Leveraging the Power of e3 Partnerships.” That award recognizes the value of projects that demonstrate sustained collaborations among employers, educators, and economic development. EKCEP was one of only five organizations from across the nation to receive Recognition of Excellence Awards in 2007.
 
For additional information on the Success Xpress mobile training unit, contact Crawford Blakeman at 606-436-5751, or visit www.ekcep.org.