[ workforce ] |
LORI KERSEY |
“ We have had not only an exodus of
West Virginians , but we ’ ve had an epic brain drain because everyone leaving , for the most part , have been those with higher education attainment ,” Estep says . “ I think one way to work on fixing it is to , wherever possible , bring home West Virginians who have left .”
With comehome2wv . com , the High Technology Foundation is working to build databases of resumes belonging to West Virginians in the science , technology , engineering and mathematics , or
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Recruiting Tech Talent in West Virginia
Workforce recruitment issues in the high technology sector are receiving creative solutions from West Virginians and West Virginia companies , including CentralApp and the High Technology Foundation .
In early 2021 , Todd Cope set out on a journey to get the word out about an untapped resource — West Virginia workers . During Operation Rural Tech , Cope traveled a meandering 6,500- mile path from West Virginia to California . Over the course of three weeks , he camped in his Tesla and met with as many tech company leaders as possible .
“ I was trying to start out the year with something really positive to help people in Appalachia get connected to opportunities ,” Cope says . “ I wanted to raise awareness about this great resource in Appalachia for tech work that the country just doesn ’ t realize is there .”
Cope is the CEO of CentralApp , a West Virginia-based marketplace that matches people in Appalachia with remote tech job opportunities around the country . Through CentralApp , with a computer , an internet connection and about two months of training , rural Appalachians can be in jobs that start at $ 15 an hour — all from their homes .
“ In eight weeks , you can work your way into a $ 15 per hour job and very quickly go up from there ,” Cope says . “ Most people are making $ 20 or $ 30 an hour . For the right people , it ’ s a great path to be able to enjoy living and continue living in West Virginia .”
While West Virginians benefit from well-paying jobs , the tech companies benefit from CentralApp by gaining a hard-working , dedicated , skilled , conscientious and loyal workforce located in a similar time zone that speaks the same language .
“ Beyond being talented and domestic , the resources here are affordable ,” Cope says . “ When I traveled across the country earlier this year , I heard the same three things from almost every CEO I met with . They said , ‘ Number one , I have to know you exist . Number two , you have to be good , and number three , you have to be affordable .’ We have numbers two and three covered , and as people become aware of us , we have a huge opportunity .”
CentralApp is just one example of West Virginia companies creatively solving workforce recruitment issues in the state ’ s high technology industry .
While Cope is connecting West Virginians to remote work , Jim Estep , president and CEO of the High Technology Foundation in Fairmont , is working to bring expatriate West Virginians — and the jobs they need — home to the Mountain State .
Over the past 10 years alone , more than 50,000 people have left West Virginia , according to census data released this fall .
STEM fields . The foundation ’ s strategy is to recruit national operations from the Washington , D . C ., area that have STEM-oriented jobs and contracting opportunities .
“ When a company wins a big contract with one of our local federal operations , we can provide them access to this data base so they can accelerate and jumpstart their hiring process ,” Estep says .
Often , if a company that bids on a federal operation in West Virginia can ’ t find enough qualified workers here , they take the work to other states .
“ So , we ’ re mitigating that potential problem while at the same time we ’ re bringing people home ,” Estep says .
So far , comehome2WV . com has around 150 resumes , but the foundation is working to expand its reach by partnering with the West Virginia Development Office to market the database on social media .
While West Virginia is not typically thought of as a technology state , North Central West Virginia ’ s technology sector is growing . In the last few years , the High Technology Foundation has recruited several operations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , which has provided more than $ 650 million in contracts .
West Virginia ’ s knowledge sector has the potential to grow further as federal operations look to move out of the D . C . area out of concerns about national security issues and high costs .
“ West Virginia represents the absolute sweet spot to achieve that goal ,” Estep says . “ We are far enough away , but we ’ re not too far away . That ’ s a competitive advantage in recruiting some of these federal operations and a transformational opportunity for the state of West Virginia .” •
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE