Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) received a $250,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to expand remote work opportunities in Eastern Kentucky. SOAR aims to create opportunities for digital employment in Appalachia, Kentucky, which will help 15 organizations across 18 southeastern Kentucky counties.
SOAR will use the $250,000 funding to host three regional meetings that offer technical assistance to local communities, helping them connect available high-paying remote jobs to skilled workers across Eastern Kentucky.
Colby Hall, SOAR executive director, explains the purpose of the program:
SOAR continues to believe high-paying remote work is critical for economic revitalization in Eastern Kentucky. The jobs the region has sought for years have finally arrived—online. It’s time communities work together to connect these opportunities with our best and brightest workers to keep them home.
SOAR will also focus on:
- Implementing last-mile broadband deployment
- Creating remote work community-level strategies to enhance awareness around employment opportunities.
- Making Eastern Kentucky a remote work destination.
As Covid-19 has revealed workers’ strong desires to work remotely, SOAR, with the help of ARC, wants to continue implementing different strategies to make the region a digital nomad destination and provide workers of the region with remote employment opportunities.