Digital Works connects people to leading-edge customer support and IT jobs for global corporations by providing training, mentorship, and job placement assistance, as well as the opportunity for advanced careers. Many program graduates benefit from the work-at-home opportunities available with the various Digital Works employer partners. Trainees without Internet access at home or those who prefer a more traditional office environment can choose to work from a Digital Works facility. 

This program provides:

• Employer-designed training for in-demand technology careers
  

• Skill development, mentorship, and placement assistance
  

• Remote and facility-based opportunities with leading companies
  

Connected Nation connects people with volunteer trainers and resources to help them achieve success on the internet, on the job, and at home. Whether it’s learning how to use a computer for the first time, a new job skill, how to use a new application, or gain a new life skill, Drive is your one-stop learning hub.

The State of Kentucky provides a variety of options for those seeking professional certifications, licensure, or other qualifications. 

Certification for Firefighters 

Kentucky has specific procedures for “accepting military training and service toward firefighter certification” to allow veterans to use their military experience toward civilian firefighting jobs. 

Reciprocity Program for Emergency Medical Technician Certification

The Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services will allow “direct reciprocity” for military training and or experience for initial certification in the state as an emergency medical technician.

Commercial Driver’s License Skills Test Waiver
The Commonwealth of Kentucky grants a waiver on the skills test portion of the commercial driver’s test for military service members with “recent experience operating commercial-sized motor vehicles”. 

Automatic Extension of Professional Certifications
Kentucky offers qualifying active duty military members “any professional license or certificate renewal without payment of fees or obtaining continuing education”. 

Continuing Education Requirements Exemption for Licensed Engineers
The state offers a waiver for continuing education requirements for qualifying military members who are licensed engineers and are on a military deployment.

Alternative Teacher Certification
Kentucky public law allows veterans to obtain “alternative teaching certification” to teach elementary, secondary, and secondary vocational school.

License Requirements For HVAC Professionals
Kentucky permits qualifying veterans or currently serving military members to include their military experience when applying for heating, ventilation and air conditioning licenses. There is also a provision for a 60-day period after the expiration of the current license to continue working while applying for a renewal.

Department of Criminal Justice Training Program
Prior Military Police education and training counts toward Kentucky police training hours

Somerset Aviation Program
Veterans who have experience working on military aircraft can get credit for their skills that can be used toward certification from the Federal Aviation Administration from Somerset Community College and Jefferson Community and Technical College  

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Certification Program supports service-disabled military veterans who own a business and live in Kentucky. It is designed to promote growth among SDVOSBs and encourage these businesses to locate and expand in the Commonwealth. This certification program will also allow service-disabled veteran-owned businesses to compete for work in other states that require certification by a statewide body. Visit Kentucky’s Small Business Connection Portal to learn about new opportunities for your business.    

Kentucky is one of 31 states part of the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact (eNLC), which allows for registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses to have one multistate license, with the ability to practice in person or via telehealth in both their home state and other eNLC states. Licensing standards are aligned in eNLC states so all nurses applying for a multistate license are required to meet the same standards, which include a federal and state criminal background check that will be conducted for all applicants for multistate licensure.

The eNLC also enables nurses to provide telehealth nursing services to patients located across the country without having to obtain additional licenses. In the event of a disaster, nurses from multiple states can easily respond to supply vital services. Additionally, almost every nurse, including primary care nurses, case managers, transport nurses, school and hospice nurses, among many others, needs to routinely cross state boundaries to provide the public with access to nursing services, and a multistate license facilitates this process.    

Kentucky offers a special pathway to certification for veterans with at least six years of active duty and an honorable discharge who have a bachelor’s degree in an endorsement area with a GPA of at least 2.5. The Veterans of the Armed Services pathway allows these candidates to receive a Provisional Certificate to teach for one year while completing the Kentucky Teacher Internship Program (KTIP). Successful completion of the KTIP then leads to a Professional Certificate.

Kentucky allows families who are PCSing to the state to pre-enroll in a school district before obtaining an address.

Service members, spouses, and dependants are able to maintain residency status in Kentucky if they are accepted to or enrolled in a post-secondary institution before the individual (or family) must move on official orders. 

The Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission (MIC3) HQ is in Lexington, KY. MIC3 works to ensure that K-12 credits transfer easily to Kentucky schools.

Kentucky has launched the Veterans Accelerated Learning for Licensed Occupations (VALLO) initiative, to provide occupational certifications (specifically Federal Aviation Administration certification) for veterans and transitioning military personnel seeking civilian employment opportunities in the aviation and power plant mechanics fields.

Offered at Somerset Community and Technical College and Jefferson Community and Technical College, the condensed 18-month to one-semester certification program for qualifying veterans creates a more efficient aircraft mechanics pathway for transitioning soldiers and veterans to obtain long-term careers earning more than $60,000 annually.

The program is possible through a collaborative effort among the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, Kentucky Community and Technical College System, the University of Louisville, and the Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs.

Kentucky is one of the most affordable states in the country. In fact, US News ranked Kentucky as the second most affordable state, behind Mississippi. However, Kentucky's income and sales tax rates are lower than Mississippi's. 

The Bluegrass State has some of the lowest housing prices in the nation on properties with some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.

The communities surrounding Fort Knox and Fort Campbell are among most military-friendly in the nation and have won numerous national awards from the Secretary of the Army, MWR, and other community organizations. 

 The Association of Defense Communities (ADC) award honors the achievements and leadership present in our defense communities, on military installations and within the Department of Defense. Fort Knox received this award in 2018 and Fort Campbell in 2017.

The Army Communities of Excellence competition highlights Army installations that have achieved excellence in business and process innovation, created one-of-a-kind initiatives, demonstrated superior facility management capabilities, discovered cost-saving efficiencies, and improved overall quality of life for soldiers, civilians and family members. Fort Campbell won gold in 2016 and Fort Knox won silver in 2015.

Kentucky is ranked 3rd for most job opportunities for veterans.

Lexington and Louisville are ranked top in the nation as Most Affordable Cities for an Early Retirement.

Home of the world-famous Kentucky Derby and Bourbon Trail, Kentucky draws attention from every corner of the globe. 

Did you know: Kentucky has endless scenic wonders, like the Daniel Boone National Forest, and Mammoth Cave? Kentucky has more miles of running water than any other state except Alaska and of the state's land area is made up of commercial forests (12.7 million acres).