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  • P.O. Box 1133 Wayne, WV 25570
  • 304-501-4755
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  • P.O. Box 1133 Wayne, WV 25570
  • 304-501-4755
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram Linkedin Youtube

Workforce Development
and Capacity Building

Our Workforce Development Model

Our workforce development model is a flexible, multi-level approach designed to engage and develop individuals’ skills and provide wraparound services, while also supporting employers. Training participants can enter our workforce development programming at any point, regardless of their level of experience. Coalfield’s model ensures participants have the support and resources they need to succeed in their careers while helping local businesses thrive with a trained, stable workforce.

Community Training

Community Training is the front line of workforce engagement. Lasting between one day and one week, these trainings are industry or sectorspecific and certificates earned upskill a participant in their current occupation or introduce them to a new field. While not a requirement, daily stipends may be offered to reduce financial barriers to attendance. Follow us on Facebook to stay updated!
Upcoming Community Trainings

Professional Accelerated Training and Hiring (PATH) Training

Professional Accelerated Training and Hiring (PATH) is a two to six-week fast-track program addressing workforce needs in construction and other indemand fields. Training is free for participants, and they receive a daily stipend, industry-recognized certifications, hands-on training, job readiness skills, and access to further support services. Follow us on Facebook to stay updated!
Check out our Events Page for upcoming PATH Trainings!

Workforce Readiness and Professional Success (WRAPS) Program

The Workforce Readiness and Professional Success (WRAPS) program offers six months of paid, hands-on training alongside support addressing employment barriers like lack of vital documents, recovery, justice involvement, etc. Participants are hired employees until program graduation, when they take the next step in their careers, equipped with experience, skills promoting stability and wellbeing, and certifications. We work with other nonprofits in the region to replicate this training model, called WRAPS Partners.
Click here to check out WRAPS Program employment opportunities.

33-6-3 Crew Membership

After WRAPS graduation, Trainees are eligible (commensurate with availability) for Crew Membership - up to three years of extended training and deeper barrier removal as a hired employee. Participants follow a 33-6-3 model - 33 hours per week of hands-on training; 6 hours of higher education coursework; and 3 hours of personal development activities. They complete the program with an associate’s degree or equivalent credential, prepared not only to secure a good job, but retain a good job.

Empowered Employer Network

The Empowered Employer (EE) Network offers development and retention services to employers, including free Coalfield trainings & materials, priority access to quality candidates, wage & training reimbursement guidance, and connections to social support services. Trainings cover safety, career development, digital and financial skills, and more. PATH, WRAPS, and 33-6-3 grads are placed in a hiring pool for EEs, creating direct career opportunities with local businesses.

Empowered Employers (EE) Network

PATH and WRAPS graduates are placed into a hiring pool for the Empowered Employers (EE) Network, connecting our training graduates to local businesses seeking skilled workers.

Through the EE Network, Coalfield partners with with the WV Jobs Network, American Job Center, Jobs and Hope, The REACH Initiative, & Marshall University’s CORE Program to offer:

  • Access to free Coalfield employer trainings, handbooks, and other tools for investing in your workforce
  • Direct, priority access to quality candidates for employment
  • Navigation of programs to strengthen and support your workforce, such as:
    • Wage reimbursement programs
      • Jobs and Hope
      • Human Resource Development Foundation (HRDF) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
      • Other regional programs
    • Training reimbursement programs
      • Governors Guaranteed Workforce
      • WIOA
      • Other regional programs
  • Connection to programs for hiring and retaining employees, offering individual and organizational social supports

Trainings Provided

Safety Training

  • OSHA 10
  • First Aid CPR & AED
  • Forklift Operation

Career Development

  • Customer Service Training
  • Supervisor Training
  • Leadership Training

Digital & Financial Skills

  • Computer Literacy
  • Financial Literacy
"Jason, a Coalfield trainee, joined us with a construction background and willingness to learn a new trade. After almost 9 years, his broad skillset and dedication make us a better company. His reliability and adaptability truly reflect the strength of Coalfield's program."
Service Pump
in Huntington, WV

For more information on the Empowered Employers program, reach out to
Josiah Hannah at josiah.hannah(at)coalfield-development.org.

Capacity Building

While our workforce development model has proven very successful, we know that Coalfield Development cannot hire every person who needs an opportunity. To scale our impact, we work to build the capacity of not only the individuals coming through our trainings, but also businesses and other nonprofit organizations. 

WRAPS Partners are nonprofits that replicate elements of our workforce model, expanding the reach of our proven initiatives. In return, we provide technical and financial support to help them build their capacity and keep strong, stable workforce programming in communities across Appalachia. All of our WRAPS Partners serve underserved populations in distressed areas and census tracts. So far, these partners have hired and trained nearly 100 people, with 80% of their organizations successfully fundraising to sustain operations, hire trainees, and increase their impact.

The WRAPS Partners initiative focuses on strengthening Appalachia’s workforce development nonprofits by helping them replicate our successful models while enhancing their capacity to sustain themselves.

We also recognize the critical role local businesses play in fostering economic growth. Through our Empowered Employer Network (EEN), we help businesses build supportive workplaces that can employ people facing significant barriers, such as those in recovery from substance use disorder or with justice system involvement. The EEN identifies and empowers businesses that wish to increase their capacity to support employees more fully by investing in and creatively meeting workforce-related challenges for better employee retention, skill development, satisfaction, and long-term stability.

Recognizing the funding challenges smaller nonprofits face—especially concerns about capacity and scale—we address these barriers through collaboration, networking, and in-depth technical and financial assistance.

Together, these initiatives form a comprehensive approach to building sustainable economic growth, workforce development, and community resilience in Appalachia.

The total cost of the Growing Renewed Opportunities for Workers in Appalachia (G.R.O.W Appalachia) program is $5M, and includes Workforce Readiness and Professional Success (WRAPS), Mountain Mindful, Refresh Appalachia, and Revitalize Appalachia programming. $1.5M (30%) is funded through the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Grant, and the remaining $3.5M (70%) of the program is funded by allowable federal and non-federal funding.