Just over five months after taking the first step to new tech careers, seven interns in the latest TechHire Eastern Kentucky-affiliated, work-based learning internship only have one benchmark left to meet before obtaining employment, while an eighth person has already exited the program to a new job.

CentralApp Technologies is partnering with the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP) and Teleworks USA in an effort to upskill Eastern Kentucky residents through an intensive nine-month curriculum that can result in multiple certifications related to working within the Salesforce customer success platform. Salesforce is the world’s top CRM company, and empowers other companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way.

The CentralApp internship began at the Kentucky Career Center JobSight in Hazard in November 2016. By February, eight of the 10 interns had completed and passed the first phase of the program, earning certifications as Salesforce Administrators using a curriculum compiled and delivered by CentralApp.

Just three months later, the interns have now passed and earned a second certification as a Salesforce App Builder. If they successfully complete the program this August and earn a third certification—Salesforce Developer 1—they will have the option to begin work-from-home employment with CentralApp.

“We’re exceedingly proud of these eight people, who have all come from communities in our Appalachian coalfields and have felt the strain that the local job market has put on the region,” said Michael Cornett, EKCEP’s director of agency expansion. “They’ve stuck with the curriculum, and have proven that what they’re learning is accessible to the people in our region.”

Read the full story »