Encourage West Virginians to Choose Home
Training students to be successful workers in tomorrow ’ s tech workforce is a great way to encourage West Virginians to stay in West Virginia . Equipping these students with both the soft and technical skills needed to get a job is just one half of the equation — they also need to be guided where to look .
“ We have 80 % of our students that actually go through four-year degrees within West Virginia leaving West Virginia because they think there are opportunities that only exist outside ,” Brandon Downey , president and CEO of Trilogy Innovations , Inc ., says . “ There are a lot of companies here with a lot of openings that are paying phenomenal salaries for their expertise .”
To be more specific , there are nearly 30,000 job positions open in West Virginia , many of which are what retired Major General James Hoyer , vice president of economic innovation at West Virginia University ( WVU ), considers next-generation tech blue collar jobs , which are essential to the future workforce .
“ We ’ ve got to go back to being able to produce more plumbers , more HVAC technicians , more welders , more high-tech , next-generation tech blue collar workers ,” Hoyer says . “ Somebody that can operate a sophisticated manufacturing plant would be considered a tech blue collar worker , such as a chemical plant operator .”
Not having enough jobs is no longer the issue . The current challenge now , Bailey says , is developing the workforce to fill those 30,000 jobs .
“ We wouldn ’ t have Nucor , BHE Energy , Fidelis and all these other large employers locating in West Virginia if they weren ’ t confident that they could fill the jobs ,” Bailey says .
WVU Institute of Technology ( WVU Tech ) is one of many universities in the state working to enable students to find careers in the Mountain State .
“ Our programs provide students with hands-on learning with connections to local and global employers to ensure that they ’ re prepared to enter the workforce with the knowledge needed for industry needs ,” says Jen Wood , chief of staff and executive director of university engagement at WVU Tech . “ For example , our chemical engineering students worked with Belle Chemical on a capstone project that allowed for our students to experience the needs of the industry and employer while also providing research support to the corporate partner .”
Collaborating with local businesses to train today ’ s students for tomorrow ’ s tech workforce not only provides them with real-world experience , but also communicates to future businesses that West Virginia is worth investing in . •
Congratulations to Chris Willis , on being named a West Virginia Executive 2024 Young Gun !
On behalf of the entire family at Shaft Drillers International , we want to thank Chris for his dedication and hard work . It is well deserved and we are proud of you !
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