MI2 Awarded ARC Grant to Grow Kentucky's Metals Workforce

MI2 was awarded $100,000 from the U.S. federal government's Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for planning for its KY-WORCS initiatives being developed in Floyd County and Pike County, Kentucky. This award is made available through ARC's POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) initiative, which directs federal resources to help Appalachian coal communities expand economic opportunities by creating high-quality, in-demand jobs in multiple industries, attracting new sources of private investment and providing comprehensive workforce services and skills training.

The funding is matched by nearly $25,000 in matching grant funds from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development's Government Resources Accelerating Needed Transformation (GRANT) Program, supporting necessary.

KY-WORCS stands for the Kentucky Workforce Optimization & Redistribution Comprehensive Strategy (KY-WORCS). It originates from the "Locally Distributed Organizations" concept pioneered by Kentucky-based nonprofit AccelerateKY and further developed in part by MI2's work with the American-Made Challenge Community Energy Innovation Prize from the U.S. Department of Energy. Through that program's support, MI2 put initial work into building the coalition for potential pilot projects in Appalachian Kentucky (with partners in Floyd County and Pike County) and in the Western Kentucky Coalfields (with partners in Muhlenberg County and Ohio County). Learn more about the origins of the project from our 2024 Kentucky Industry Conference.

This 12-month planning process will give the Metals Innovation Initiative, AccelerateKY, and the organizations' partners in Pike County and Floyd County the opportunity to fully flesh out a metals career pathway program aimed at preparing talent ready to work in satellite offices for metals manufacturers–off the main interstate corridors, where labor markets and housing challenges are often tighter–to consider jobs that can be done outside the main manufacturing campus, and which can create specialized talent pathways for satellite offices "not that far away." The project includes identifying specific high-wage, remote-compatible metals industry positions appropriate for these two counties and will assess local workforce and facility assets for potential hub sites. Partners include the Big Sandy Community & Technical College, the Prestonsburg Economic Development Foundation, and the Pike County Industrial Development & Economic Authority.