West Virginia Executive Spring/Summer 2020 | Page 66

Closing West Virginia’s
Skills Gap
KRISTEN UPPERCUE
Photo by Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy.
In response to the call to diversify West Virginia’s economy,
many programs have been created over the past several years
to train Mountain State residents to work in new industries.
With the coronavirus outbreak and the impact it has had on the
economy, local businesses and employment rates, these training
programs have never been more important. At the onset of the
statewide shutdown in March, West Virginia faced more than
90,000 unemployment claims, and that number increased as
businesses temporarily halted operations or closed for good
due to the pandemic. This shift in available jobs could leave
many people looking for new career opportunities.
The Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy, Robert C. Byrd
Institute and West Virginia Department of Education are
persevering through the pandemic, working with companies
throughout the state and the region to help fulfill workforce
needs and equip citizens with proper training, certifications,
jobs and internships in their chosen industries.
Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy
The Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy (MCA), a West Virginia
National Guard-sponsored program that works with teens
at risk of not graduating, plans to open its second campus in
Southern West Virginia in October. The facility will be located
on the former West Virginia University Institute of Technology
campus in Montgomery and will serve as the 42nd National
Guard Youth Challenge Program in the U.S.
Operations of the two campuses will be similar, despite
the Kingwood campus—now called MCA North—being
positioned on a National Guard base and MCA South being
located on a former college campus. MCA North’s classes will
run on a January-July cycle while MCA South will run on an
April-October cycle.
“At MCA North, available facilities limited the opportunity
to expand,” says Bob Morris, state director of the MCA. “A
second location will help more West Virginia teens and will
allow the academy to better serve students south of Route 60.
From a workforce standpoint, MCA South will provide quality
state jobs in an area that has been hard hit.”
The MCA consists of a 22-week residential phase and a
one-year post-residential phase, allowing program graduates
to work with a volunteer mentor. An optional 22-week
Mountaineer Job ChalleNGe Program (MJCP) is offered to
graduates looking for specialized training in manufacturing
technology and energy, pre-apprenticeships with building
trades and health care specializations in phlebotomy.
“The MCA and the MJCP both serve an integral role in
developing West Virginia’s workforce, and both programs
adhere to eight core components: education excellence, citizenship,
life coping skills, leadership and fellowship, job skills,
health and hygiene, physical training and service to community,”
says Morris. “By following these components, the academy
focuses on the whole person.”
The MCA is planning to graduate 300 cadets from its Kingwood
facility and 200 cadets from its Montgomery facility
every year. Currently, 85 percent of academy graduates earn
their high school diplomas while in residence.
In February, the MCA was recognized as the National
Guard Youth Foundation Program of the Year. Shortly after, the
MCA transitioned its training to take place online in response
to the pandemic. In May, cadets were given the opportunity
to either continue the program online, returning to the academy
for one day of testing, or come back for the next start date as
new cadets.
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE