Recent research shows that women who leave welfare generally end up in low paying jobs with few benefits, if any (Boushey 2001; Loprest 1999; Polit et al. 2001; Richer et al. 2001). Many welfare recipients lack basic job skills that would make them appealing to employers and help them move out of dead-end jobs (Johnson and Tafoya 1999; Pavetti 1997). Job training and education end this pattern by preparing welfare recipients for higher paying jobs. The Women in Construction Program (WIC) in Kentucky has been successful in combining training and job placement to increase self-sufficiency and end poverty. Operating since 1995, WIC trains low income women for highway construction and general construction trades, while offering child care and transportation subsidies during training, and providing support for program graduates. Thomas Boyd (2002) found that WIC graduates earn an average of $10.28 per hour and have low turnover rates. The results for the women who graduate are highly positive: 86 percent feel satisfied with their current jobs, 93 percent feel more self-confident, 92 percent report increased self-sufficiency, and 63 percent believe their family life has improved. These improvements were transferred to the children whose parents say they demonstrate more self-confidence and personal responsibility and show more pride in their mothers’ achievements and capabilities