Readying the Workforce
That means leaders have six years or less to find a solution to another challenge: finding a qualified workforce to fill those 100,000 jobs.
According to Hedrick, workforce development has been an issue in Appalachia for years— since the Baby Boomers’ retirement left open positions that couldn’ t be easily or quickly filled. For the petrochemical industry, several institutions and programs are doing their part to help prepare this future workforce need, like BridgeValley Community & Technical College and its Advanced Technology Center and West Virginia State University. The industry is also looking to reputable engineering schools like West Virginia University, Ohio State University and Virginia Tech that are creating graduates now.
“ We need those schools and universities to generate not just chemical engineers but many other STEM education-based graduates,” he says.“ We also need people who will run businesses. There’ s a general shortage when you look at $ 36 billion of investment in the petrochemical industry because it generates jobs outside the chemical sector on a 5:1 basis. For every job inside the chemical industry’ s fence lines, five more are created outside of the fence line.”
More than anything, though, the future workforce needs hope. Middle schoolers who have a knack for STEM education need to be informed about the career opportunities that exist for them, especially in the petrochemical industry in West Virginia.
“ The key ingredient is hope,” says Hedrick.“ If we as leaders in the industry and the state and all across Appalachia can’ t
create hope by virtue of what we are doing, then it’ s time for a little bit of a gut check. We need our young people to have hope that what is next for them is good— not an escapist mentality but a mentality of how do we stay here and get this done.”
Moving Full Speed Ahead
Getting things done is the hard part. It’ s the choosing to stay that comes easy for West Virginians. They have a unique loyalty to the Mountain State, and given the opportunity to prosper here, more times than not they will choose home. That choice becomes a little easier when considering all the successes the hub initiative has already garnered.
The Appalachia Storage and Trading Hub has earned its Part II Application invitation from the DOE’ s Loan Program Office, and the Request For Information( RFI) to engineering and procurement and construction( EPC) companies has closed. Hedrick is proud to confirm that the RFI had a significant response from the heaviest of heavyweights in the EPC community, though he can’ t name names just yet. In the coming months, the group will open the Request for Proposal( RFP) process, and in the weeks that follow they will begin reviewing RFP responses for the specific design of the hub.
“ We are moving right along,” says Hedrick.“ We’ re moving with vigor to deliver on the mission we took up to create the Appalachia Storage and Trading Hub as a catalyst for the development or redevelopment of the chemical industry across Appalachia. Some people say,‘ You’ re trying to take us back to where we were.’ No, we’ re trying to take us to an even better place.” •
True Performers know preventive care is better care.
As part of our True Performance program, we’ re helping Dr. Christine Florendo keep her patients healthy— and rewarding her for it. By using our data, she and her staff are able to identify patients who need specific vaccines. It also allows them to take a more proactive role in scheduling routine follow-ups. Because of doctors like Christine, to date, this program has saved $ 180 million in emergency room visits and hospital stays.*
There’ s value in that.
Christine Florendo, MD Kids Care Pediatrics True Performer
Download the True Performance ebook at HighmarkTruePerformers. com.
True Performance results:
13 % fewer emergency room visits
16 % fewer hospital admissions
$ 180 million in cost avoided
* Based on reduction in hospital costs for patients with True Performance doctors compared to those without from January 2017 to July 2017. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE