Wesley White, legal counsel for the WV Department of Commerce: Attract more business, more industry, more entrepreneurial activity
"I’ve been talking to several companies, particularly in the technology and cyber sectors, to see what it would take for them to open shop in West Virginia. How do we compare to other states when it comes to investing in us? Each response echoed the same tune: Our business incentives are high, but our workforce is low.
"There is a perception that we don’t have the human capital to support companies and business investments. That’s simply not the case. West Virginia is graduating 2,500 coders each year. We want to keep those students here while attracting more business, more industry, and more entrepreneurial activity statewide.
"By improving the health and skillsets of the existing workforce, and attracting new talent into the state to offset an aging and fleeting workforce, we can significantly offer more opportunities to strengthen workforce participation. This must be a statewide focus."
"There is a perception that we don’t have the human capital to support companies and business investments. That’s simply not the case. West Virginia is graduating 2,500 coders each year. We want to keep those students here while attracting more business, more industry, and more entrepreneurial activity statewide.
"By improving the health and skillsets of the existing workforce, and attracting new talent into the state to offset an aging and fleeting workforce, we can significantly offer more opportunities to strengthen workforce participation. This must be a statewide focus."
https://wvforward.wvu.edu/