When Experience Matters, Companies Choose East Kentucky

East Kentucky is famous for the dedicated worth ethic of the area’s workforce. Companies are choosing to locate here because they know they can hire employees who want to put in a hard day’s work. Still, there is more to employee productivity than work ethic. Hard and soft skills are also important, as is experience. Companies who want to hire an experienced workforce, ready to lend their knowledge and expertise to helping achieve company goals, choose to locate in East Kentucky.

A recent example is Silverliner, a company manufacturing transportation vehicles and tanker trucks. When the company posted a job opening for welders, they received 3,000 applications. More than 1,500 applications were from experienced, trained welders. This allowed them to staff up quickly and begin production without delay.

Benefits of hiring an experienced workforce

Rather than hiring out of high school or trade school, companies are finding that there are benefits to hiring an experienced workforce, including:

#1 Ability to problem solve

Experienced employees are more apt to spot a problem and get to work solving it. Rather than needing to seek direction or advice from superiors, experienced employees understand the need to make on the spot decisions to keep production rolling. Not only do they understand the need, but they have the problem-solving skills necessary to do so. This is especially true of those coming out of the coal industry, where their daily decisions impacted personal safety and that day’s output.

#2 Adaptability

Workers coming out of the mining industry have had to adapt to changing technology, environmental regulations, and how business is done on a daily basis. Their ability to adapt and change is a significant advantage for companies who are incorporating modern technology into their business operations.

#3 Leadership ability

The average worker coming out of the coal industry has fifteen years of experience in dynamic, changing, and high-pressure situations. They know how to think on their feet, show leadership, and get the job done. Their leadership ability can be a significant asset for companies looking to build out their management staff.

#4 Work ethic

Experienced employees know what it takes to get the job done. After all, they have been at it for over a decade. This eliminates a common challenge companies can have when hiring employees straight out of high school. Those who have already excelled at a job, have likely done so through consistent hard work.

#5 Dependability

Companies can be confident that an employee will be dependable if they have already demonstrated an ability to work for a company long-term. Those who have been with a recent employer for five, ten or fifteen years, have a proven commitment both to their specific job and to the company who hires them.

Experienced employees can be your competitive advantage

If your company is looking to grow, consider doing so in East Kentucky. With thousands of experienced workers looking for jobs, it is possible to create a job posting and have hundreds, if not thousands, of qualified applicants in days. Many of them will possess the problem-solving skills, leadership ability, and dependability that your company needs to compete in a global economy.

Learn more

We invite you to contact One East Kentucky CEO, Chuck Sexton, to learn more about the strategic advantages of locating your company in East Kentucky.