Throughout the last year the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP) has used American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) economic stimulus funds to organize dozens of classes that trained eastern Kentuckians in high demand fields where jobs can be found locally.

That investment is already paying off for people like Tommy Roach, who used the knowledge he gained from an Industrial Maintenance class in West Liberty and help from the WorkNow Kentucky summer employment program to bounce back from not one, but two devastating job losses.

Tommy, 49, was never a stranger to work. He started working in a small grocery store in Columbus, Ohio, at age 13 to support his family and has worked a variety of jobs since then. He found a calling in after-market auto parts, working for seven years for Action Crash Parts in Columbus before relocating to manage its West Liberty branch in 2001.

Unfortunately, Action Crash Parts closed its West Liberty branch in 2007 and Tommy was out of a job. He found employment with another after-market auto parts company, but the after the economy soured Tommy was laid off in late 2009.

“It was pretty bad,” Tommy said, remembering that uncertain time.

Fortunately, Tommy knew Sidney Castle, a career adviser for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) office at Gateway Community Action Agency (GCAA).

GCAA delivers WIA programs in Morgan and Menifee Counties under contract with EKCEP. The GCAA office in West Liberty is also an access point for the JobSight workforce network, which provides access to a variety of government workforce programs in one location through a collaborative partnership of workforce and training agencies administered by EKCEP in 23 eastern Kentucky counties.

Sidney told Tommy he could retrain for a new career for free in the ARRA-funded Industrial Maintenance class. Tommy jumped at the opportunity and applied himself to the class with the same work ethic he has shown since he was 13.

He graduated in July, but even before his training ended the knowledge he had gained and his contacts through Sidney had helped him find a job at Acer Technologies, where he helps build prototype machines for the oil and gas industry.

Tommy originally worked at Acer in the summer of 2010 through the WorkNow Kentucky summer work initiative, another ARRA-funded program managed by EKCEP. WorkNow Kentucky placed unemployed or under-employed people in temporary summer jobs at local businesses and paid 100 percent of their wages.

Tommy’s work in his temporary job impressed his employers so much he was hired full-time when WorkNow ended in September. Today, he said loves his new job.

“It’s something different and interesting every day,” Tommy said, smiling.

Tommy said he would recommend that anyone who has suffered a layoff should consult their local WIA office for help, because they could find a “great opportunity” to overcome their personal setback.

“Sidney did a great job helping me out,” Tommy said.

Sidney said Tommy excelled in taking full advantage of what WIA offered, never missing a class and working hard.

“When he sets out to do something he gets it done,” Sidney said.

Tommy’s new employer is also happy with his experience with WIA programs.

Jason Hoskins, owner of Acer Technologies, said the company previously had tried hiring for the position Tommy filled but had not been satisfied with the results. Then WIA and WorkNow — which provided a no-risk training and try-out period — helped him find an experienced, hardworking person who is a great new addition to their team, he said.

“I would recommend using them to other business owners. It has definitely helped us out quite a bit,” Jason said.

To find out more about WIA services in the West Liberty area, call 743-4141. For more on EKCEP and its services visit http://www.ekcep.org or http://www.facebook.com/EKCEP.