Bridging the Gap
OLIVIA MILLER
Preparing West Virginia’s Future Workforce
Creating a strong workforce with the capacity to support
families and individuals alike in West Virginia for decades to
come requires a collaborative effort that combines industry
professionals, government officials and educators. West Virginia,
like the rest of the country, faces a critical need for skilled
workers. The world is rapidly changing, and the knowledge
and skills that were imperative to building a vibrant economy
in the past are different from those needed now. Today, three
organizations in West Virginia are implementing and creating
strategies to propel the workforce into prosperity and close the
gap between skilled workers and employers.
West Virginia Ready
West Virginia youth in several counties throughout the south-
ern part of the state are being presented with the opportunity
to apply for paid, high-quality summer internships with some
of the state’s leading employers through the West Virginia
Ready internship program. The program, established by The
Education Alliance and Leadership West Virginia, provides an
avenue for high school students to explore career opportunities
and improve their soft skills before graduating and entering
the workforce or continuing their education.
“Although some college students may have opportunities
to participate in internships, we believe this may be too late
for many of West Virginia’s youth,” says Amelia Courts,
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
president and CEO of The Education Alliance. “By exposing
high school students to real jobs in some of the state’s leading
industries such as manufacturing and health care, students
learn about high-quality, high-paying jobs right here in the
Mountain State. They also get excited as they try out different
careers within those industries and find a pathway to align
their dreams and talents.”
Toyota, Appalachian Power and Cabell Huntington Hospital
served as the pilot businesses for the first year of the program,
in which 10 students participated. In the future, The Educa-
tion Alliance anticipates expanding the number of interns,
employers and regions with the goal of eventually offering the
program statewide.
WV Ready’s 2019 summer internship participants.
Photo by The Education Alliance.