SOAR and KCTCS launch energy career pathway for Eastern Kentuckians

Somerset Community College is now accepting participants for a new workforce training program designed to prepare Eastern Kentuckians for high-demand careers in the nuclear energy industry. The launch marks a move from planning to enrollment as SOAR and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a regional training pathway through KCTCS Workforce Solutions divisions.

For Perry County residents, the network reaches beyond one campus. The pathway runs through Workforce Solutions at Ashland Community and Technical College, Big Sandy Community and Technical College, Hazard Community and Technical College, Maysville Community and Technical College, Somerset Community College and Southeast Kentucky Community Technical College. That gives job seekers in central and southeastern Kentucky more than one entry point into the program, including nearby Hazard.

SOAR has branded the effort “Train for Energy Careers That Power America” and paired it with the message “Build a Career, Not Just a Credential.” The group says it serves the 54 Appalachian Regional Commission counties of Eastern Kentucky and was born from the economic fallout of the coal industry, a backdrop that explains why this pathway is being framed as part of the region’s economic transition rather than a one-off training announcement.

The new effort fits a familiar pattern in eastern Kentucky, where community colleges have often been the fastest route for adults seeking retraining and short-term credentials. KCTCS describes itself as the Commonwealth’s largest postsecondary institution and the largest provider of workforce training and online courses, and says it has served one million Kentuckians in its first 20 years. That scale matters if the goal is to move residents from enrollment into jobs without requiring a four-year degree.

The energy sector jobs tied to this kind of pathway can include construction, maintenance, technical support and logistics, roles that depend on specific skills and certifications. SOAR and KCTCS have already used similar partnerships before: Hazard Community and Technical College partnered with TLD Logistics in 2022 to pilot a CDL Class A driver training program, an agreement first announced during the 2021 SOAR Summit. For Perry County workers and recent graduates, the question now is whether this nuclear energy pathway can do the same thing at a larger scale and turn regional training into steady employment.