# SOAR's Eastern Kentucky Talent Network Gets $200K Boost **Published:** 2026-06-22T00:24:39.303Z **Source:** [Public News Service - Kentucky](https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/eastern-kentucky-program-expands-job-growth-resources/69d16ce1-a75d-43d3-95bc-22abf5e3e9a7) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/soar-s-eastern-kentucky-talent-network-gets-200k-boost A regional workforce development program serving Eastern Kentucky's job seekers has secured a significant funding boost to expand its operations and connect more residents with meaningful career opportunities. [According to reporting from Public News Service](https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/eastern-kentucky-program-expands-job-growth-resources/69d16ce1-a75d-43d3-95bc-22abf5e3e9a7), the [Eastern Kentucky Talent Network](https://soar-ky.org/eastern-kentucky-talent-network/), operated by Shaping Our Appalachian Region, received a $200,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on May 21. The grant will support continued growth of the network and its job board, with a focus on strengthening connections between job seekers and employers while expanding outreach to underserved communities across the 54-county region. [The investment will also fund enhancements to the job board and expanded outreach through the EKY Remote initiative](https://www.floydct.com/news/w-k-kellogg-foundation-awards-soar-200k-grant/article_4760ce66-7077-4579-aab1-a63329dbc868.html), according to a statement from the organization. Reed Adkins, executive director of SOAR, emphasized the program's role in helping Eastern Kentuckians pursue healthcare careers without leaving the region. "To make sure that our kids that are enrolled in medical fields have wraparound services that will actually help them complete those programs to get them into a career that will keep them in eastern Kentucky," Adkins said. The network has already achieved notable success attracting companies in high-wage sectors. One employer in the nuclear energy sector has hired 52 people from Eastern Kentucky for remote positions that involve travel to work sites for scheduled maintenance outages. "One company has hired 52 people from eastern Kentucky to work remotely, and essentially what they do, they travel about half a year, about 26 weeks a year, to whatever location the company needs, and they work on nuclear reactors," Adkins said. The grant arrives as Eastern Kentucky continues to face significant employment challenges. [Jobless figures remain highest in eastern Kentucky](https://www.weku.org/the-commonwealth/2025-05-22/unemployment-rate-drops-in-81-counties-highest-jobless-rates-in-eastern-kentucky), with unemployment rates substantially above state averages in counties like Lewis, Magoffin and Wolfe. The funding is intended to expand workforce tools, improve employer-to-candidate connections, and increase visibility of job opportunities in communities with limited access to employment resources. ## Sources - [Public News Service - Kentucky](https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/eastern-kentucky-program-expands-job-growth-resources/69d16ce1-a75d-43d3-95bc-22abf5e3e9a7) - [Eastern Kentucky Talent Network official website](https://soar-ky.org/eastern-kentucky-talent-network/) - [Floyd County Times coverage of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant to SOAR](https://www.floydct.com/news/w-k-kellogg-foundation-awards-soar-200k-grant/article_4760ce66-7077-4579-aab1-a63329dbc868.html) - [WEKU reporting on unemployment rates in Eastern Kentucky](https://www.weku.org/the-commonwealth/2025-05-22/unemployment-rate-drops-in-81-counties-highest-jobless-rates-in-eastern-kentucky) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Public News Service - Kentucky, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/eastern-kentucky-program-expands-job-growth-resources/69d16ce1-a75d-43d3-95bc-22abf5e3e9a7.