Press Releases

May 07 2015

McConnell Helps Eastern Kentucky Employment Training Program for Laid-Off Coal Miners Secure New Competitive Federal Grant

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has approved nearly $7.5 million for the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP) to continue its services to assist laid-off coal miners in eastern Kentucky. Earlier this year, Senator McConnell wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez in support of EKCEP’s efforts.

“EKCEP is doing great work assisting Kentucky coal miners seeking employment and training opportunities,” Senator McConnell said. “I was pleased to work with Director Whitehead to ensure these funds come to Kentucky for this critical program that is helping our miners struggling under this Administration’s War on Coal.”

According to the DOL, the “[r]ecent decline in the coal mining industry – eastern Kentucky’s largest employer – have led to job losses across the area and increased the region’s unemployment rate to the highest in the commonwealth.” The $7,494,017 provided by this competitive federal grant will help provide training to the laid-off miners to assist them in finding new jobs.

“Kentucky’s coal miners and their families continue to suffer under this Administration’s War on Coal and its burdensome regulations, the result of which has been the loss of thousands of high-wage jobs in a region facing serious economic challenges,” Senator McConnell said. “The loss of these coal jobs has had a negative and wide-reaching impact across the region’s economy, causing closings and worker dislocations in many businesses only marginally related to coal. This funding will help EKCEP provide essential reemployment services – including for emerging information technology jobs – to approximately 700 Kentuckians who have lost jobs or businesses as a result of the decline in the coal industry.”

"Today’s announcement is good news for Eastern Kentucky's collective efforts to retrain our workforce and diversify our economy. More importantly – it’s good news for the workers who need help transitioning into new jobs and careers. U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell is a champion for Eastern Kentuckians, and we at EKCEP certainly appreciate what his steadfast support makes possible,” EKCEP Executive Director Jeff Whitehead said. “For example, working with community partners, EKCEP has served nearly 2,300 out-of-work miners and their spouses since 2013 through our H.O.M.E. initiative, which stands for ‘Hiring Our Miners Everyday.’ Thanks to that assistance, more than 1,100 of those former coal industry workers have already obtained new employment. As with H.O.M.E, the new grant from the U.S. Department of Labor will fund efforts to bring critical services like expert career advising, job placement assistance, and training referral and enrollment to additional unemployed Eastern Kentuckians affected by the region's economic downturn, but who were not directly employed in the coal industry.”
In 2013, Senator McConnell helped EKCEP secure a nearly $5.2 million competitive federal grant for the program.