By:  Jacob Groves

Muhlenberg Job Corps graduate Katlyn Rex, who completed the center’s welding program, has launched a career in the predominately male welding profession. Rex currently is employed as a laborer with Titan Contracting in Owensboro, KY. This job is a welcomed challenge after the Job Corps program because she is always on the move tackling different jobs for different businesses. She is currently working on site at Logan Aluminum in Russellville, KY, using her welding skills in the construction of a nearly $408 million expansion at the facility. She says her day-to-day work involves a little bit of everything, and each day brings a different job or a different challenge to tackle, depending on what phase of construction the project is at and what welding needs to be done.

Rex credits her ability to work in an environment that changes with every day and every job to the Job Corps program that constantly pushed her to become better at whatever task she worked on.

In addition to completing the welding program at Muhlenberg Job Corps, Rex completed the CDLB program. She graduated from Muhlenberg Job Corps in October 2017, and started work for Titan Contracting in May 2018.

Rex recalls that prior to enrolling at Muhlenberg Job Corps she had heard about the Job Corps program but didn’t know there was a center close to her home in Greenville. Following a tour of the center, she decided that Job Corps was the program for her.

Initially she thought she would train in one of the center’s healthcare programs and pursue a career in the medical field, but after being on center a few days, she changed course, wanting something that was “spectacular” and definitely nontraditional. She wanted a career that could challenge and push her to become the best, even if it meant navigating unknown territory. And she was inspired by her dad who takes great pride in building with his hands. Her choice? Welding – definitely challenging and definitely a nontraditional choice for women.

It didn’t take long for Rex to distinguish herself among her peers. Muhlenberg Job Corps Welding Instructor Marty Wabnitz recalls, “She is special to me because she has a drive that is unbelievable and possesses a sheer will to succeed. While she was in the welding program, there were no days off, as she was always trying to make herself the best welder that she could be.”

Rex continually pushed herself, always volunteering for projects and consistently seeing jobs through to completion. That determination was stoked even more by adversity. “Toward the end of her tenure at Job Corps, her and her dad’s house burned down,” Wabnitz recalled. “Katlyn’s personal goal was to graduate the program and by the end of the year put herself and her dad into a new house. She accomplished just that.”

When asked if money was a motivating factor in pursuing a nontraditional career, Rex laughed and said, “If I had any idea how much money there was in working a nontraditional woman’s role, maybe. Honestly, I had no idea how much money could be made. I just take great pride in working with my hands and doing something that might be seen as spectacular.”

Katlyn Rex, an outstanding example of women who dream big and pursue nontraditional careers, has been nominated for various awards for her work, including the Better Occupational Opportunities for Tradeswomen (BOOT) Award. She attributes her success to Muhlenberg Job Corps and the quality training and mentorship she received there.